#genuinely surprised no one has made this joke yet in their AU’s yet

[babyaiker]

“Kirin” Duffy, that is all

Serious tho, my first ever fan art of red dead redemption was an mlp au, and i immediately made the Kirin Kieran joke,

When I first saw Kieran last year before I got into the game, I was only able to remember his name because it reminded me of the mythical creature,,

And yes my Pony Town avatar looks like a Kirin Kieran thank you for asking!

I’ve said his name too many times it’s not even a word anymore-

[hanibalistic]

DRUNKEN WITH A SENSE OF LOVE | HWANG HYUNJIN.

genre | romance / drunken confessions / fake dating au

synopsis | you and hyunjin got drunk at different times, and you two took care of each other similarly. 

word count | 7.1k+

warning | mentions of insecurity / brief allusion to sexual themes / alcohol and drunkenness  

note | i changed almost everything about this.

Hyunjin has gotten himself etched to the back of your mind, and you genuinely did not like that.

You didn't blame him, though. If anything, you blame yourself for falling so head over heels for him.

For one, Hyunjin couldn’t help who falls in love with him. He couldn’t suppress his overwhelmingly good looks if he tried, which he never did. He enjoyed the positive attention, however shallow they often were. He also couldn’t put a pause on his decent personality, which came as a genuine surprise to you after you got to know him better through this fake dating scheme. You always thought beautiful people harbored the ugliest heart, out of envy and bitterness. Hyunjin wasn’t like that. You didn’t think he was, at least. 

For two, you should have known better than to fall in love with a man leagues above your selection pool. People called it self-degradation, a lack of self-esteem, having no self-worth, and whatnot. You considered it a down-to-earth trait, a reality check, understanding your limits, and whatnot. Hyunjin was a boy you should fall in love with in moderation but never utterly, ardently, absolutely. You were, unfortunately, the latter. 

For three, and this was the stupidest part, you two were temporarily dating. Hyunjin was honest when he approached you and said that his friends, at the ripe age of twenties and pursuing higher education, thought you were good enough to be the butt of a romantic joke. They had challenged him to chase you, get you into a relationship, and break your heart. It was a heinous and, frankly, childish game, but you agreed to it with him for the prize money. 

It was worth it at that time. It was easy money! Who wouldn’t want that? You didn’t feel that way now. Pretending to be in a loving relationship with him has short-term perks but long-term losses. 

Hyunjin was practically in you, etched to the back of your mind, tattooed on the inside of your skin, taken by your bloodied hands to the bottom of your grave. The degree to which your heart dropped for him was unexplainable by yourself. Therefore, having the excuse to go on dates and hold his hands in public, snuggle with him during outings with his friends, and maintain a pleasant friendship with him behind closed doors were great experiences. But when the time comes for separation, you will hurt, not merely over the breakup, but the reminder that he has never felt more for you, that your wonderful experience with him was just an experience.

Clumsy stumbling could be heard outside his apartment, and not a second later came a round of demanding knocks. Hyunjin's head perked up at the noise, his eyes wide in alert at the sudden banging. He looked at the door momentarily before finally looking over to the clock, his brows furrowing slightly at the late time. He waited to check if it could be a drunken stranger approaching the wrong door, but soon enough, another round of aggressive knocks sounded.

Holding the thought that it could just be his roommate, Han Jisung, coming back home late for yet another odd reason, and also praying inwardly that he wouldn't have to spend the night taking care of a loud, obnoxious, and very drunk Jisung, he made his way up and approached the door.

Flinging the door open, Hyunjin did a double-take before his annoyed expression morphed into one of surprise. His arm went slack against the wooden frame of the door, and he took an instinctive step forward when he saw your drunken state—your features were scrunched up in discomfort, your eyes squinted because astigmatism had taken over on your walk to the apartment building, and you were hunched over. You were not at all the way you used to look, not the way he was used to seeing you, which was always so presentable and well put together.

An amused smile appeared on his face as he eyed you up and down, wanting nothing more than to make fun of and tease you even without your ability to form the perfect retorts he has grown to be highly fond of. But you sniffed for a moment and took a step forward. In that exact second, you had Hyunjin doubling over to catch you before you could fall to the floor, concern lining up the crinkles of his eyes as he looked down at you.

"Woah, alright! Let’s stand slowly, okay?" he commanded gently, cooing at your side as if talking to a child. 

His arms curled around your shoulder and waist with a protective grip, and he hoisted your weight by supporting you with his own. Pulling you into the apartment, he shut the door slowly with his feet before returning his attention to you, hoping to bring you to the couch where you could lie down and rest.

“Jeez, babe, how much did you drink?” he laughed, dragging your unresponsive body along with him.

You groaned lowly, trying your best to hold down the acidic taste rushing at the back of your mouth. You wouldn’t know it, but this was not what you had planned for the night. Your friends did their job sending you home safely. Who would have thought you’d leave your apartment shortly after just to stumble to Hyunjin’s home? It was a short distance from your place, but what a miracle you made it without any major accidents! And what a disaster you made it to his home while being high on alcoholic honesty!

You snapped your head up. You were at the perfect angle to stare at his side profile, allowing you the premium shot of his perfect jawline, luscious locks, beautiful lashes, button tip of his nose, and just the most kissable lips you have ever seen. A grimace reached your face. It was an instinctive response. His good looks indeed couldn’t hide even behind the blurriest of eyes. You thought if you lied to your body enough, your mind would follow, so you grimaced whenever you looked at him, hoping to start disliking him. It hasn’t worked. 

"Hwang Hyunjin,” you muttered.

He chuckled. “Yes. That is me."

You gulped, still staring at him. Then, as you lowered your eyes to the floor, you leisurely suggested what’s been on your mind recently, “We should break up."

Of all the things you have done within these few months of him meeting you, including you agreeing to help him lie to his friends about this fake dating challenge to punching someone in the face for shaming his impulsive sex life, which you weren’t surprised he has, this one caught him off guard the most. This one also made him panic. It was fear, like sweaty hands and dry lips, like his mind racing with terrible thoughts, racing with made-up reasons as to why you would want that, racing with every single action he has done that could be counted as a mistake.

"Wh–what? Why do you–why? Why are we breaking up? We are fine. I didn't do anything–did I do something?" Hyunjin stuttered, unconsciously tightening his grip on your body before he let out a gentle but firm whisper, "No."

“I know, I am sorry. I don’t know–I’m just sorry,” you slurred, long stopped looking at him and instead was now leaning your entire weight against him like a wall. Your hands waved about in the air. "You are mad at me, aren't you? Of course–“ you snorted obnoxiously–“it’s a lot of money! I’ll pay you. Break up with me, don’t be mad.”

Hyunjin stared at you as you laughed manically. It sounded choked up, like you’ve got wet coughs prepared in your throat, but he could tell you were far from shedding tears, unlike good ol’ sensitive him, who remained in a state of anxiety and was still trying to process why you brought up separation. It wasn’t time for the fake dating to end. It was nowhere near it! To suggest breaking up so early must mean something was wrong with him, but what was? He couldn’t tell! To think he was just losing his mind over what to do once it was time for this fake relationship to end. 

“Hyunjin,” you called him once when you noticed his silence. Looking up at him, you furrowed your brows and reached up to brush his face clumsily with your hand, pushing your fingertips against his skull. “Hyunjin? Hey. Answer me. Hey. Hello. Hyunjin!”

He leaned away from your aggressive touch, his shoulders relaxing at your playful antics. A smile formed uncontrollably on his lips when you doubled down on smearing your hands all over his face after his dodges. He was left haplessly struggling between missing your direct eyeball pokes and keeping you from falling to the ground. You grinned out loud; he mirrored it, and he didn’t hear the sound of your laughs mixing together because he hears it all the time.

“You are very drunk, [Name],” he managed to comment after grabbing both of your hands and keeping them at his face level. His tight-lipped smile sparkled when you attempted a struggle, like a parent reprimanding their child, then he moved your hands to your face and squeezed your cheeks together. Your lip jutted out in response. He leaned in to kiss your cupid’s bow. “You’re being silly. Let’s get you cleaned up and back to bed.”

The frown on your face made him nervous. His hands slowly slipped from your face, and your hands fell to your sides. You remained silent, and he let the clogs in your brain move. Your thoughts weren’t clear. The only thing you were sure of was that the man standing before you was Hwang Hyunjin, your temporary boyfriend, and you’d spent the whole night trying to drink your feelings for him away. You came to his apartment for a reason—you needed to break up with him for your own good.

“No, I can’t go to bed yet. I have something to do.” You yawned and waved an arm dismissively. You spoke before you finished yawning, leaving your words hanging in the air in slow motion. “I came to tell you something.”

Hyunjin’s hands curled into fists. He let go, tightened them, and let go again to alleviate the sweat gathering at his palms. You were surprisingly hell-bent on the topic, which led him to believe it went beyond a moment of drunkenness. It must have been a conclusion formed long ago, and you have just now mustered the courage to let him know. But why? What did he do? What did he not do? 

He was more than nervous, if there was a word to describe the state of his heart. This was more than a personal problem, which he admittedly still has to work through, but far more significant than himself was you—his feelings for you, his immense affection for you, the fact that he loved you the way you warned yourself not to love him but did anyway. It wasn’t your fault. Your observant eyes, your sincerity, your care for him. It wasn’t your fault. He fell in love with you of his own accord.

If you left him, he would be like a dog without a leash, a dog without an owner. He would wander aimlessly, filled with rage and dread, sniffing every darkened corner for a whiff of your scent. 

“Are you breaking up with me?” he asked meekly. 

You sucked in a deep breath to counter your congested chest, then you shook your head in agreement. “Yes.” 

You were very drunk. He shouldn’t take your words into consideration. “That’s fine,” he said as he stepped toward you, “can we get cleaned up and go to bed anyway? It’s very late.”

“No, I don’t want you touching me anymore.” You stepped back dramatically and hugged yourself into a protective stance. “It’s for the better.” 

He wondered what that meant. Were you repulsed by him? Did you finally realize how disgusting his inability to stay away from sexual and romantic validation was? Were you ashamed to be associated with him because of his impulsive behavior? He was only good for a short time; did you come to that realization? You were too good for him. He always knew that.

Hyunjin retreated his hand from mid-air. His hands met before his abdomen, his fingers immediately picking at each other as he uncomfortably shifted his weight. The corner of his lips arched downward at your rejection, but he tried to keep them neutral so he wouldn’t be influenced into crying. There wasn’t much else he could do with himself if being near you was no longer an option. He looked lost and wronged; he felt so.

“[Name], did I do something?” he asked, rubbing his elbow awkwardly. “Why do you suddenly want to break up with me?”

You blinked at a random space on the wall. Sitting below your sight was a messy square table with unwashed cups, scattered papers, and a closed laptop. Even in a state of haze, you knew they didn’t belong to him. Hyunjin was more organized than that. He told you once it made his school experience much easier to have everything in one place: his computer, which you knew he often kept in his school bag. You sniffed; you knew him like the back of your hand. 

“I can’t tell you,” you replied slowly, not looking at him. “It’s a secret.” 

Hyunjin tilted his head. “I won’t tell anyone, I promise.” 

He sounded convincing, so you gradually moved your eyes to access him. Standing in front of you, timid as a mouse, was Hwang Hyunjin. You knew that, and you knew that your secret was to be kept from him. Yet, somehow, all that did not register once you were engaged in a conversation with him. He was Hyunjin, just a person you were talking to. If he promised not to tell, then it should be fine. 

“You promise?” you asked. 

Hyunjin nodded. “I promise.” 

You pouted with a glare, willing him to waver and show any sign of deception, but he stood his ground and waited for you to expose your deepest and darkest feelings to him. A faint grumble sounded from your mouth. You looked around briefly to check for any eavesdroppers before you walked a few tentative steps toward him, and you confessed, “I’m in love with you.” 

It was like a shot through the heart, and the shot was aimed so successfully that the organ tore off its hinges and fell to his abdomen where his hands fiddled nervously with each other. It may be asking for an exit out of his body, it may be seeking its new owner, or it may come knocking boldly at your mouth and ask to fit inside you. Hyunjin remained perplexed at your confession. The confession had a bitter taste; he wasn’t sure what to make of it or if he deserved it from someone like you. 

“[Name]…” 

“I’m sorry,” you apologized. “I am very in love with you. It’s stupid.” 

He couldn’t tell, but you understood, despite a fogged mind, that letting him know your affection for him was a cause for your demise. Your emotions were in a whirlwind, collecting up the fragments of all the heart pieces you've broken because of Hyunjin and how you had confronted yourself multiple times with your own delusions that this wouldn't be like the movies. He would never fall in love with you just because you two got closer from months of fake dating.

Even then, he was empathetic to your body language, especially how much they mirrored his. His shoulders slumped at how you turned away from him to trail your attention off somewhere safer, where he wasn’t in your sight. Registering his beautiful face was hard for you because you couldn’t have him; processing his existence and your proximity to him was difficult because you could never have him. You turned away from him to further signify to yourself the assumed truth, your trembling fingers pulling at each other to avoid an awkward standstill. 

Hyunjin was etched to the back of your brain. He was overwhelming, and he was far away. Unable to contain the sudden reminder that you were never going to get over him, a rush of tears started to tremble their way up to your eyes. Your face scrunched without remorse, and your head dropped near your shoulders alarmingly quickly that it startled him.

“I love you, I’m so sorry,” you sobbed. It made him panic. “Please break up with me.” 

“Why are we breaking up if you love me, silly?” he forced a laugh once he approached you. 

His lanky arms were clumsy and gentle after he pulled at his sweater sleeves to wipe your tears. They hovered awkwardly over your face, gauging how much strength to use to effectively dry your eyes but not push you any further away from him. He cooed a bunch of nonsense, but they were sweet like sleepy kisses on your hands. Eventually, he cupped your face and wiped your eyes with his thumbs. You let him; he made you laugh when he apologized for using too much force, even though he never did. 

“You don’t love me, Hyunjin,” you muttered. 

“Nonsense,” he retorted within a second, “who said that?”

You didn’t reply, so he stood with his arms raised for a whole minute while you leaned the weight of your head against his palms. He thought it terribly horrific that he ought to remember the shape of your face with his slender fingers because of his inability to sew his skin into yours. If his hands were like superglue, he could be attached to you forever—your face, your features, you, his most favorite thing in the world. His hands would burn, but what of it? Better you scorch him than to never be touched by you at all. 

“Hyunjin,” you called when you were finished zoning out.

“Mhm?” 

“I love you. I’m sorry,” you said. “I’m so ugly.” 

Growing up being valued for his beautiful features taught him to devalue it. He didn’t care for it. He wouldn't cry about it if he were to earn a permanent scar across his face. Yet, even then, if he were to have one, he was sure people would rave about how the scar ruined his face rather than talk about how he obtained it. Except for you. You’d ask about it, like you always asked everything about him. 

The kind of person you were, his most favorite person in the world—you were detailed like that, and you made him feel an essence of humanity others didn’t. With you, he wasn’t ethereal, he wasn’t a God, he wasn’t an angel fallen to Earth. He didn’t have to be because you never put him on some miraculous pedestal. He was just Hwang Hyunjin; his favorite food is his mother’s cooking, he makes clumsy mistakes and looks funny when he does, and he enjoys making art. 

Not a model, not God’s favorite, not pretty. Just a boy, and he’s in love with you.

“Okay,” he said, “I’m ugly too.” 

He didn’t deny your false claims; you were the prettiest he had ever known, but only he needed to know that. When there comes a time for him to praise and worship your physical body, he will. For now, there wasn’t anything much he wanted to say in return. Just that he was the same as you. 

Your souls didn’t collide that way, obviously. You two were completely different people with varying hobbies and friend groups. However, Hyunjin was willing to chase you like Hell to meet where you were. There wasn’t anything he wanted to be if he couldn’t be it with you. Whatever you are, he is.

There was another long pause. Hyunjin patiently waited, tender eyes concentrated on each crevice of your face as he stroked your stained cheeks with his thumb. You didn’t say anything more, only slapping your hands over his and pulling them from your face. He thought you were moving away, but you took a step forward instead and dove into his arms. You hugged him around his neck, hanging off him like a sloth. He chuckled, swaying you side to side. You were tired, he knew. 

“It’s getting late, baby,” he whispered, leaning back to watch your closed eyes and laughing. He ran a hand through your hair multiple times, getting a clearer view of your face. “Let’s clean up and go to bed, okay?”

You groaned and muttered in response. He didn’t hear what you said. He kept sweeping your hair back. Supporting you with his weight, you were heavy, but he didn’t mind. You wouldn’t be able to change your clothes by yourself, so he would help you. It’d be sloppy and slow, and he wouldn’t mind. You would take up most of the bed, sprawled out without a clue that you weren’t sleeping in your apartment. Your body heat would scratch up a fever in him, and he wouldn’t mind. He enjoyed taking care of you. 

Staring at him as he stroked your hair, you pouted before uttering three familiar words, “I love you.” 

Hyunjin smiled. Whatever you are, he is. He kissed your nose and your eyes. He told you he loves you too.

It was one of those nights when Hyunjin couldn’t spend time with you, and you were unreasonably disappointed about it.

You slouched atop the couch you got at a flea market, which Hyunjin had to convince you to get after repeatedly reassuring you that there wouldn’t be any actual fleas hiding in the creases. This uncomfortable position resulted from five hours of continuous mumbling about how you should not be upset that Hyunjin didn’t choose to spend the night with you, which he had done the past few weeks. He has been somewhat clingy lately, and you couldn’t imagine why. You thought your act was good. There was no way his friends doubted you. 

This could be the calm before the storm. Even though you two had concocted a detailed timeline for your fake dating, you wouldn’t be surprised if Hyunjin abruptly cut it short. If that was true, his current sweetness was nothing more than a buildup to a dramatic and convincing breakup. 

Pouting in dismay, you rolled up the bag of chips and reached for the tea table beside you, your fingertips wiggling to graze past the black binder clip you used to keep the plastic bag sealed. Amid your frustrated groaning, still refusing to get your ass off the couch even after more than ten seconds of struggling, the doorbell suddenly rang, and coming after that were loud bangs at your door.

A shiver ran down your spine as you snapped your head toward the direction of the noise, your brows rising abruptly at the fearful intrusion. Slowly throwing your chip bag on the table, you stood up and tip-toed your way over to the door where you pressed your hands to the wooden surface and carefully looked through the peephole.

A gasp caught in your throat when you saw Hyunjin’s face standing just a few inches away from the circle as if leaning against the door for support. You immediately moved out and unlocked your door, swinging it open to reveal him fully. Taking a good look at his face before he started to throw his little drunken tantrum—messy hair, concentrated brows, droopy eyelids, and a general look of discomfort—you concluded that he definitely has been downing more shots than he could handle.

“What happened to you?” 

You stepped up to put your hands on either side of his arm, carefully bringing him into your apartment. He stumbled with most of his weight straining on your shoulder. There were so many stutters in his steps that you almost dragged him into a fall with you on your way to the couch. After setting him down, he snorted at the cushy feeling of your couch. It took him a while to process the new environment, and then he arched his neck to find you. 

Hyunjin could barely make out your face. He couldn’t even be sure if he went to your apartment, but subconsciously, he could tell he was at your place. He felt it in your timid touches just now, and whatever scent he whiffed out of the air, it smelt like you. Licking his lower lip as his worries slowly faded away and his attention—as much as he could muster—returned, he mumbled a string of incoherent noises under his breath before he, much to your palpitating heart’s dismay, pulled you onto the couch next to him. 

He got on top of you; his legs had to bend in weird ways to accommodate the small couch, and he placed his palms on either side of your head to trap you under him. You felt heat forming on your cheeks as you shrunk beneath his shadow, your eyes widening at the proximity. Hyunjin has never done this before. The closeness wasn’t new, but the position of it was. Being under him was an unbelievable feeling. He looked beautiful, and his toned muscles became more visible by supporting his own weight. How your thoughts were smeared! You doubted your body would forget how well he could cage you in. 

Hyunjin stared at you with a low, drunken hum. Then, suddenly, he leaned down to meet your face. 

“[Name],” he started, lowering his head tiredly to your shoulder, “you wanted to break up with me?”

You blinked up at the ceiling, confused, but you figured it could be the alcohol talking for him, so you chose to disregard all the questions that popped into your head. Holding out your arms to push against his chest, you attempted to sit up. “I don’t want to break up with you, Hyunjin.”

He seemed to be processing your answer as he allowed you to set him aside and give yourself more space. You sat quietly next to him, letting him have the time to think over what he wanted to say. The thoughtful pout on his face told you it was difficult for him to use his brain, but it looked cute enough that you almost took a picture to tease him about it once he got sober. You wondered if his response would be nonsense as well.

“Why do you want to break up with me?” he whispered, causing you to sigh. He hasn’t heard you, after all. His lips were pursed into a frown, and his eyes were squinted to show that he was very close to leaking a few tears down his cheeks, but you couldn’t read between the lines and realize what his despair meant. Hands fiddling with the hem of his shirt, he abruptly turned to you and sniffed. “You can’t do that to me. I won’t–I won’t let you do that to me.” 

You tilted your head to the side, your brows constantly furrowed. Where was he getting this idea from? You tried to recall any off-handed comments you made. Still, they were primarily directed elsewhere and never at your fake relationship. You’ve never said anything bad about him, not to him, and never behind his back. There wasn’t anything outstandingly mean to say anyway, so what sprung this on? 

Returning to reality, your head faintly shook as you looked up at Hyunjin to ask his drunken state about the reason behind this outburst. Your eyes widened instead when you saw he had taken his shirt off, the lump of fabric discarded on the floor carelessly. Heat blossomed at the base of your neck, and you felt your joints sour in panic; seriously, what sprung this on! This was a much bigger issue than drunkenness! 

When you noticed his hands reaching to the belt of his jeans, you immediately lunged toward him and circled his wrists to stop his movements. Your panic became a surprised concern at his need to strip naked in your apartment. You doubted he wanted to show you his body. Even if he did, this wasn’t how you wanted to do it. 

Moving his hands away, you urged, “No. We’re not doing that.”

“No, I have to! I have to!” 

He snatched his hands away from yours and dove to unbuckle his belt again. His movements grew increasingly frustrated the more you blocked his attempt to remove his pants. You were annoying, but he wasn’t angry at you. He was scared. He wasn’t getting what he wanted, and he thought you might leave him if he didn’t show you what he could offer. It scared him that you didn’t want to see him whole, so eventually, he began to sob. 

“I have to show you, [Name]. Please let me!” Hyunjin whined, hands tugging harshly at each other by his chest.

“You don’t have to show me anything,” you assured as you grabbed a few tissues from the tea table. You dabbled softly at his eyes. “Come on, let’s put your clothes back on.”

Tears rolled down his cheeks like knives against your skin. He felt uncomfortable at this unfamiliar sequence. Things usually go smoothly after he reveals himself. Nobody has ever refused to see him, so why did you? What about himself was so repulsive that you couldn’t take one look at his bare skin? Why didn’t you love him back? 

“No.” he slurred, then paused to catch his breath. 

The moment of calm was gone too soon. His hands reached up to ruffle his hair in a frenzy. His heart hammering against his chest, yet his brain wasn’t sane enough to understand what the sudden panic was about, just that it had something to do with you. That obliviousness, as a result, was making him even more agitated.

“You need to love me again!” he exclaimed, eyes brimming with unknown tears. “People love me when I take my clothes off. You need to love me again!” 

A puff of air slowly made its way out of your half-parted lips. You could feel the stretching of your heartstrings. Hyunjin cried as he shrank into himself, his arms going around his cold body for a sense of comfort, and the sight toyed with your head by sending waves of deep anguish like mere laps of the ocean. The feeling deranged you—to realize Hyunjin experiences such a level of hopelessness and loneliness was heartbreaking. More importantly, you felt ignorant of his problems. You should have been a better friend, perhaps even a better lover.

“Hey,” you called out gently as you scooted toward him. You brought one hand up to his face to direct his eyes to you. You smiled softly when you found that he was opening his squinted eyes to stare back. “I’m going to get something, so wait here for me, okay?”

He sniffed, tasting the tears rolling down his mouth, and nodded. You rubbed his cheek with your thumb, ever so gingerly placing a hand at the small of his back, hoping to calm him down, but it turned out Hyunjin had a thought of his own. After feeling the warmth of your hand, he took it as a sign that you wanted to hug him, so he obliged immediately by wrapping his arms around your torso and putting his head on your shoulder.

You breathed a small chuckle when he made weird noises after finding a space at the crook of your neck. The transition from him throwing a tantrum to having a mini panic attack to being the clingiest person you have ever met was amusing. As was the transition from your mind being filled with annoyance and confusion to having your feelings torn into shreds to breathing out a chuckle. It was entertaining, and the fact that Hyunjin could bring out so many different aspects of your emotions was undeniably endearing.

He was that kind of person. He has always been. More than beautiful, he was expressive, selfless, and tender-minded. Watching him allowed you to live an emotional life vicariously. All the things you ignored in the past because of mental stress were repainted in colors by his hands. The movie you never watched, the ice cream you never tried, the districts you never visited, and the fireworks show you never stayed for—everything meant something to Hyunjin, so everything meant something to you. 

To him, love was a grave of sacrifices. Of his time, his space, his body, and his mind. He was willing to give, and he has given you all except one. You wouldn’t know any of it. 

You moved to the back of the couch, cautiously pressing your back up against the edge. Hyunjin followed you, shifting his position so he lay stuffed against your chest with your arms around his shoulders. His fingers played with each other shyly on top of his bare chest as he looked around your apartment absentmindedly. He couldn’t register anything but the fabric of your clothes and how small you made him feel. 

He finally looked at you after a moment. His cries had long ceased and left only trails of dry tears on his dearest cheeks. With his eyelashes still wet, glittering beautifully in the air, he blinked, his eyes widening after he found out you had been looking down at him. Suddenly, he grinned childishly with a hint of sun hidden in his smile. “What are you looking at?”

You hummed, finding Hyunjin utterly irresistible even with his tear-stained cheeks and slurred laughter. He was all messy and puzzling, but your heart pushed against itself to give him space to stay inside. “I’m looking at you, silly.” 

“Oh, you’re looking at me.” He giggled, covering half his face with his hands and shutting his eyes shyly. He squirmed around in your arms, but not once did he move far enough to not feel you against him. When he was done, he returned back to the original position, and he peeked an eye through the gap between his fingers. He laughed. “ I am looking at you too.”

“I know you are,” you said, fingers threading through his feathery locks with serenity, and a smile so heartwarming that Hyunjin couldn’t help but focus his sight on it.

“Why?” he asked, his eyes shaky.

You pursed your lips together and shrugged. “I can’t tell you. It is a secret.”

Hyunjin’s gaze hardened naively, a gasp ripping through his throat as he leaned back against your hand. “Tell me! I promise I won’t tell anyone else.”

“You promise?” 

“I promise!” he exclaimed, sitting up slightly and bumping his forehead against your chin. He burst into a fit of giggles then, rubbing his forehead for a while before reaching the same hand out to touch your chin sloppily. “I’m sorry, I hit your face.”

“It's okay,” you said, your thumb soothing against the spot he had bumped into you. “But you promise me you can keep a secret? It’s very important!”

He nodded eagerly. “I promise!”

“Okay,” you said as you looked up at the sky, pretending to think. “The reason why I am looking at you is really simple. It is because I love you.”

You glanced back down at him to find him looking at you in astonishment. He licked his lower lip. His mind cleared a little for the first time, and he felt all of the universe that was your body pressed close to him. Beyond that, there were more minor things. Your heart beat faster than his, making him chase after you like a madman; the warmth of your skin equated to the warmth he manually cultivated in his bed by stacking multiple blankets together, an attempt to replicate your presence at night; your soft voice, going through his blurry ears, sounded like the subconscious voice he hears all the time. Maybe his subconscious was all just you.

Those were all fragments of proof of how much he loved you. To think you returned his feelings—he didn’t know what to think. 

“Really?” He sounded so surprised. It was almost heartbreaking.

“Yes,” you nodded, “even when we both have clothes on.” 

He looked down and touched your shirt. “Oh, you are wearing a shirt.”

“Yes, I am.”

He gazed at it briefly before, with an invisible shrug, leaned his cheek against your chest. “You’re warm. I like it.”

You smiled, feeling like your lips were about to extend out of your cheeks to become wider. “You’re cold because you took your shirt off!”

He scoffed and said nothing. Hyunjin was unguarded and half-stripped before you, chastely snuggling up against your chest while slurred words spilled out of his mouth like a mantra. You didn’t try to understand him; he wasn’t looking to have a conversation. You just wanted to lay together without a thought or a worry. Occasionally, he would sit up just to look at your face, then hum and lay back down, continuing to rot. 

It was such a wondrous thing.

“Do you want to wash up and go to bed?” you asked. “Are you tired?” 

“No. I want to stay here. I like it here.” 

Hyunjin let out a dreamy sigh. He threw his head back with a smile, his hair hitting your jaw and sprawled over the crook of your neck. He tilted his head then, letting it fall along your shoulder. His eyes were closed with bliss, and he laughed to himself. When he opened his eyes, there was only the shadow of your side profile, which was good for him. He wanted to kiss the skin, filled with close-up bumps and blemishes. It was a side profile he’ll know for the rest of his life, and he’ll whisper ‘I love you’ to a million times. 

“I have a secret to tell you,” he mentioned.

You raised a brow, intrigued, and urged him to continue, “What is it?”

He bit his lower lip and scurried off your body. You sat up straighter then, watching as he stumbled over to the front door for the bag he discarded on the ground. He crouched to pull a small notebook out easily before returning to you. He stopped by the couch, his eyes concentrated as he stared at the notebook's cover. Then, without another word, he dropped back onto your body and made you wrap your arms around him like before. 

“I draw you all the time. In my sketchbook.” 

He grinned out loud in the same way you would grin at him. His fingers played with the blank pages before, finally, he arrived at one filled with traces of his pencil. You gasped. He wasn’t spilling nonsense. The page was filled with beautiful sketches of your face, and so was the next one and the next. He kept flipping his notebook, and everywhere you could find pieces of yourself dotted out sincerely by his hand. 

They didn’t look to come from memories, but they were definitely from moments not even you could remember. But Hyunjin remembered everything because he detailed it all in the lines. His inability to not consume all of you tied his hands together and made you his ultimate muse. Almost unconsciously, for a while, the only thing he knew to draw was you. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t know how else to pour you out of his mind. 

It was overwhelming, and you could see that. He was showing you all his blood work: mornings spent missing you with the tip of a crooked pencil, afternoons spent recalling your features in his head, nights spent tracing your face with his lead-filled fingers under a desk lamp. If he could inhale these sketches of you into his bloodstream and poison himself with those images, leaving an organ tattoo of your presence, he would. 

“I love this one,” he said, pointing at a full-body sketch of you. “I was waiting for you at the coffee shop, and you were walking towards me. I love it. I was so excited to see you. I memorized what you wore.” 

This sketchbook stayed with him all the time; he felt like he was bringing you with him, like a kid refusing to let go of their blanket. You wouldn’t know anything about that. The beautiful boy in your arms admired you constantly, from the farthest corner of his soul to the tip of his button nose, and you wouldn’t know anything about it. 

“I draw you all the time,” he added. “I will never forget what you look like, but I always want to remember.” 

The implications of that didn’t fly over your head. His addition to telling you the truth disabled your ability to attribute the fact that he draws you in his free time to him being artistic. But more than being afraid of rejection, you feared a mutual connection. The only thing worse than you finding Hyunjin loveable was him finding that you were as well. 

“Do you know why?” he asked, looking at you expectantly. 

You wavered. You hadn’t spoken since he showed you his sketches. “Why?”

Hyunjin stared at you. Within the drunken fog of his eyes, there was earnestness. “Because I love you too.”

You didn’t know what to say, and you wouldn’t. There was solace in choosing to believe that he didn’t mean it. When tomorrow arrives, and he returns sober, you wouldn’t speak of this conversation at all. When night comes tomorrow, and he’s had a full day of rest, Hyunjin would vividly recall how you took care of him and told him you loved him, and he would draw you again. 

“Do you like them?”

His question snapped you out of your trance. Your sight blurred through a sudden quake before it focused on his face. Hyunjin pouted, his fingers tapping patiently at his notebook for your response. You softened with love and squeezed him in a hug, a smile blooming on your face. 

“I’ve never liked anything more,” you complimented, “except for you!”

His legs kicked when you nuzzled your face to the back of his neck. His heart filled, like the sun could fill up a piece of land and the moon could fill up a river, and in return for his joy, he let out a boisterous laugh. He didn’t hear how it sounded with yours. Still, it was such a wondrous thing. Your love was such a wondrous thing.

[tiredsmashbros]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NEO !!!!

all what blud is pondering + yapping bout smh @neo91502 🍔💛

credits to nxva on the tsmg4 fanart LMAO

this is my bday gift to the blue canine with wings nothing crazy underneath nooooo nope nope nopity nope :) shhhh

and now for my essay speech bc that's becoming my trademark now other than being comic ceo of smg34 apparently LMAO

neo, you already got my lil emotional yap thru dms bout ur "loyal lettuce" role, but ong i'm boutta give another sappy essay for you to use ur big pikmin brain to read: once again, thank you, for wanting to talk to me, hang out with me, and just yap about shared interests. it takes a lot for me to open my shell due to past experiences with folks its hard to even open myself to making friends at times,,, yet never did i expect anyone to know or like EPIC: the musical as much as i did nor even WANT to go forth the idea of a smg4 au for fun. i'll admit i was very nervous being invited to the private dms to yap bout it and a part of me from bad habits wanted to run away, but your understanding and providing ways to help so i didn't feel excluded made me feel so relieved and welcomed. as i already told you, it's been a VERY long time i got to really yap my love for musicals in this way in depth and getting to know even more folks from that outburst {lookin at you knightmare and lore 💛} has genuinely made me so much happy. i love musicals in a very deep level and finally getting that opportunity to talk to others just has been the greatest ever /gen /srs.

other than musicals, FINALLY i have met someone who loves isaacwhy too hELLO????? like i've gotten very few people irl to show them clips but none have either really stuck into watching or liking them as much as me. so getting that opportunity to watch LTLVC with you and nova was SO FUN {despite my stream quality was laggy and slow} i enjoyed it so much and finally i can reference the jokes so much BC GOD I USED TO DO THEM SM IRL U HAVE NO IDEA HAHAHAHHAHAH TYUFGHEDCSXYUIGJHEFDC

another big factor was just being so surprised and shock you had a fursona!!! neo!!!! it just made me so happy GENUINELY bringing me back to my furry home adobe and knowing the fact i could draw other's fursonas and even my own and being welcomed about that idea just made me explode /pos. even more when i got to watch you DRAW TOMMY.... like at that point i finally got over my fear and confidently pressed that follow.

you are such an awesome guy neo. you're really fun to yap with and never once had i had any second doubts other than being afraid i would embarrass myself ITYGJHFCDSX i still remember almost vividly the first time we aCTUALLY talked when i was doing thumbnail sketches of my final comic assignment, with the "typer" joke YOU CHOCKED FROM LAUGHTER HAHAHAY89IUTGYFUEHJDSX TO THE NEXT DAY ANDER AND I TALKED BOUT IT AGAIN HAHAHAHA still one of my fav vc's ever. thank you so much for being a fan, joining my server, and joining vc to us being friends. you mean so much to me, thank you for being your silly self, i srsly look forward to yapping to you every day.

and good gOD i will continue that binge on getting into the pikmin lore TRUST..... 💛🍔

BTW, THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO ATTENDED NEO'S BIRTHDAY PARTY EVENT IN THE TSB SERVER !!!! whether it was just for a bit or the whole event, THANK YOU. /gen

i don't plan on doing much birthday vc events unfortunately, but i def wanted to do one {and using neo as a guinea pig once again} since this silly man had impacted me so much i wanted to give him the best bday he could have. even if it got really chaotic several times YOU GUYS ARE CRAZY OH MY FUKIN GOD HAHAHHAHAA and no im not sorry for being absent the first 40 mins my stephen king fixiation is a priority /j

[transvampireboyfriend]

Here's a little snippet from a tattoo shop/bakery au that i got kinda stuck on and i dont know if ill ever finish.

some context: Chrissy and Eddie are best friends that live in different states, Eds is taking two weeks off work for Chris' visit, he won't be at his tattoo shop which means he won't see the cute baker from next door

Chrissy's in the middle of answering and he's stretching his arms above his head when they hear the front door opening and the little bell above it chiming.

Eddie left the sign up front switched to "CLOSED", which can only mean-

"Eds?" Steve calls into the studio

Eddie immediately gets up from his seat and goes to meet him at the lobby, missing Chrissy's surprised look.

"Hiya, Stevie." he greets, bumping his knuckles against the front counter where Steve is standing just to the side of it.

He's secretly been hoping Steve would stop by just so he could see him. Just so he could hear his voice one last time before he has to go on for days without it.

Steve looks good too, in a plain white shirt, his blue apron and the absolute best pair of lightwash jeans in the whole entire world (if you're asking Eddie).

"I thought I saw you come in" Steve says, "You've been here for hours and you didn't come by to get breakfast, so i brought you this" he lifts the tray in his hands.

There's a mug with coffee, several sugar packets and two chocolate croissants.

"Aw, Steve, you didn't have to" Eddie says, genuinely touched. His heart flutters even though this is typical of Steve. He's just the sweetest.

"Oh, stop it," Steve protests, sounding bashful "these are from yesterday, I can't sell them" he says, placing the tray on the counter. A blush colors his cheeks and Eddie smiles, he looks so pretty.

Eddie knows by now how a pastry looks when it's fresh. He can't be fooled anymore.

It's been so long of them doing this dance though, and Eddie knows if he mentions it Steve will just get embarrassed, so he keeps his mouth shut about it.

"Well, they look really good." Eddie says instead "Thank you, sweetheart" he adds softly, his eyes drawn to the pink blooming on Steve's cheeks and focusing on the flour smeared across Steve's nose. He wants to kiss it and get flour all over his lips.

Eddie leans towards the tray and breaks away a piece of croissant, taking a bite.

Yep. Either Steve made these this morning or he's got magic abilities.

" 'M sure gonna miss these" Eddie says around his mouthful, gesturing with the bit of pastry still in his hand.

"Ugh, don't remind me," Steve groans "the shop already feels dull today"

Eddie laughs softly "You flatterer" he accuses

"Just trying to get you to visit" Steve defends, leaning against the counter and into Eddie's personal space to tap the rim of Eddie's reading glasses.

"Like I could stay away from your shop" Eddie says, tries his best not to sound breathless. He thinks he fails, and he must be blushing too, judging by how Steve's eyes are roaming his face.

"Good. Cause we need the business this month" Steve jokes.

That makes Eddie snort and laugh, Steve's shop is filled to the brim with costumers at least twice a day, five days a week.

Steve smiles at him again and then he peers around Eddie.

"Oh, hi!" Steve greets, straightens up and waves a little.

Eddie turns to see Chrissy leaning against the lobby partition, observing with her arms crossed.

Fuck.

"Chriiisssyyyy!" Eddie draws, and she narrows her eyes suspiciously "C'mere!" Eddie soldiers on,

Chrissy eyes him warily but walks to the counter and smiles sweetly at Steve, "Hi!" she greets "I'm Chrissy."

Steve's eyes widen "Of course! Eddie was picking you up today! I'm Steve, it's nice meeting you!"

He's such an angel, Eddie wants to cry.

"Likewise, Steve. I'm so sorry, I don't think Eddie's mentioned you yet" Chris says, but directs it to Eddie, glaring at him.

Eddie's about to answer, offended, but gets stuck on Steve's crestfallen expression for a split second and then Steve beats him to it.

"Oh, it's okay" Steve says, his smile reappearing, "I own the bakery next door" he supplies.

"He brought croissants!" Eddie tries to redirect "The best croissants in the state I'd say" he offers, succeeding in lightening Steve's mood again, judging by the twinkle in his eye.

Satisfied, Eddie asks Chris "D'you want one?"

Chrissy looks at him weird but mutters "sure" and grabs the one still whole.

"Well!" Steve exclaims, softly clapping his hands against his sides,

"I was just dropping these by, I won't take up any more of your time." Steve says "Chrissy it was really nice meeting you, I hope you have a great time in our town."

He turns to Eddie then and reaches out to squeeze his arm "And Eds, I hope you get lots of rest during your break. And visit us." he adds, moving his hand up to softly pull on a stray bit of hair that fell off Eddie's bun "The place won't be the same without you"

Eddie deflects so he doesn't melt under his gaze.

"I'm not dying, Stevie." he says, grabbing him by the shoulders and bodily turning him around as Steve softly laughs.

Judging by how his own cheeks are burning, Eddie's sure that he's the exact shade of a ripe tomato.

"I'll be back before you know it." Eddie adds, and with that, he gets Steve out the door.

Steve turns to say "You better" to Eddie. And once again, he peers around him to wave his fingers at Chrissy "Bye!" he says.

Sweetheart.

Eddie forces himself to not watch him walk the few steps between their shops.

When he turns back to his best friend he's relieved to see she's not glaring at him anymore.

She's got chocolate in the corner of her mouth and she's nodding.

"These are really good" Chrissy says, lulling Eddie into a false sense of safety.

He walks towards her to pick up and continue eating his own croissant, but as soon as he's within reach, Chris smacks the back of her hand against his bicep.

"OW!" Eddie protests, leaning against the counter and rubbing his arm.

She's been an athlete ever since they were in middle school together and she's never pulled her punches with him, it's a big part of why he loves her so much.

"You never told me you had a boyfriend!" she accuses, her mouth still full.

[thesleepyfable]

~ SWTD: Still Here AU Part 27: ~

No Hard Feelings:

And, here we are, the final chapter for season 1. Yes. You read that right. There will be a season 2, but it won't begin until after Christmas. Until then, I have another announcement and I'll be focusing on my own project as well.

I also want to thank everyone who's been following this story, and hopefully will continue to do so going forward.

The glow from the fire pit greeted Suze and Rennick. Caz waved them over as Trots and Simon began to serve everyone. Suze headed for her husband and took her spot on the steps. Rennick awkwardly sat between Gibbo and Roy, unable to look them in the eye. He wanted to be with Suze. In just ten minutes, she had become a source of comfort for him. Letting out all his feelings and washing away his 'King' façade, which was both a blessing and a curse, because now he was just Davey Rennick. But, who was Davey Rennick?

Gibbo handed him a bowl of casserole, which he took with a quiet 'thank you.' He could feel everyone's eyes on him. Soon, they all took their seats around the firepit. Small chatter filled the air. Rennick stared at his food. He didn't have the appetite. One last thing weighed on his mind. Now, it was his turn to be brave.

'I know,' everyone stopped and turned. They saw the anxiety in Rennick's eyes. Too late to go back now. 'I've been more than a shit manager to all of you. And, what I did has caused us all to be here. Because of me, you lot,' referring to the infected. 'Will never be the same again, and I can't fix that. You all had to deal with who I was for so long, and, looking back, I'm surprised you didn't throw me overboard.' An empty joke no one laughed at, but Rennick made another empty chuckle. It was his way of finding strength. 'And I'm sorry you had to deal with who I was for so long. I just...' A sigh. 'I dunno. Turned into something you all had to see.' He paused to catch his breath. 'I don't want to be that man anymore, but I don't know where to start. And-'

'And we want to apologise.'

Rennick flinched when he felt someone touch the top of his head. It was Gibbo. That surprised Rennick. He thought Gibbo would never speak to him again. The last time he did, he split his cheek and brow open.

'...F-For what?'

'For not supporting you. You got us here, and we never thanked you for it.'

'No. You don't need to-'

'We're also sorry for not noticing how you've been feeling,' Brodie interrupted. 'We're in this together, and we should have seen what you're going through.'

Rennick was stunned. He glanced to Gibbo, then to everyone else. He didn't understand. He saw their kind eyes, causing his to widen. No one's looked at him like that in a long time. He didn't know what to say.

'Ah, King Rennick,' Roy hummed, breaking the silence. 'Well, if he's officially gone, then...' He moved to grab a beer, opening and handing it to Rennick. 'I'm happy to finally meet you.'

He accepted with a small yet genuine smile. 'Let's hope this one isn't a prick, eh?' They tapped the bottom of their bottles together before taking a swig. Still weaker than piss. The robin flew and perched on Rennick's arm, softening his eyes. Everyone noticed, and seeing their manager smile, whilst different, was nice to see.

'Okay then, Davey, tell us a bit about yourself?' Trots smirked.

'What?'

'Oh God,' Caz snickered under his breath.

'We do it with anyone who joins the friend group.'

It took Rennick a moment to realise what they were saying, and he just laughed. Yet again, it was different but nice to see.

'So, we know you like to laugh,' Trots joked. 'Good to know.'

'Oh, and what about you, Campbell?'

'He's trained in ballroom dancing,' Simon answered without hesitation, causing Trots to snap his head to his lover and nudge him in the arm. Everyone except O'Connor, Mary, Gibbo, and Irene was shocked. They knew he was into classical music from the 40s, but he never told anyone that he swayed around on the dance floor.

'And you never told us,' O'Connor teased, causing Trots' face to go red, who now realised he's been played at his own game.

'So, you do have a personality outside of a Union,' Gibbo continued.

'Come on,' Addair encouraged, putting on a terrible Scottish Accent. 'Do a little jig.' For once, everyone agreed with him.

'Okay, next!' Trots yelled a little too loudly, making Simon laugh, earning another small nudge. 'You're on the naughty list,' he whispered.

'Oh, you tease,' Simon whispered back, before sneaking in a small kiss on the cheek.

'Well, actually...' Raffs got to his feet and went inside the house. Rennick didn't expect anything and just thought the young lad was going to get more drinks. Until he returned with a dart board in his hands. 'We'd like to know if you can play?'

For some reason, that got Rennick to laugh again. He didn't know where it came from. Was it nerves? Maybe. But, the man was happy, and his smile grew wider.'Got any darts?'

The crew and their families had learned three things about Davey Rennick.

One; He loved to laugh. Sometimes, it fell into a mischievous giggle, which was rather infectious.

Two: He adored the bird. A tendril was always stroking the top of the robin's head, and she didn't seem to mind. Roy, however, had a feeling he was an animal lover. The food he always gave him would quickly vanish with a clean plate, knife and fork, and seagulls loved to perch around his office.

Three: He was really good at darts, beating Brodie's score with flying colours, causing everyone to cheer and hug him. Something else for Rennick to be surprised by, freezing up his body and just allowing it to happen. His mind wandered back to the final night on the rig, when Caz confessed what he did to Billy. Although he wasn't there, he completely understood Caz's feelings and the high spirits everyone felt. It then flashed to when Brodie won the darts. Again, he understood the feeling. How wonderful it was. No wonder he was jealous. Thankfully, it wasn't a mosh pit, but he, too, had to hold back his tears again.

'Alright, get off. I need another beer.' That wasn't going to be so easy. Muir, just like he did with Brodie and Caz, lifted the man up above his head as if he was holding a cat under their arms. Rennick yelped in surprise before begging to be put down. Wish granted. He moved away from his crewmates, who were now setting the dart board up for another round, because Brodie wasn't losing his title after working so hard to get it.

With a content sigh, Rennick sat near to the firepit and watched from afar. The robin landed on his nose. A beer came into his peripheral vision. He turned. It was Caz. Rennick accepted whilst the leccy pulled reposition a chair and sat beside him.

'Thanks.'

'Nae bother.' They tapped the bottles together and took a swig. 'I see Suze got through to you.'

'Aye. You chose her well.'

'Nah. She chose me, and I nearly fucked it up.' Caz felt Rennick wrap a tendril around his shoulder for support. 'But, I think we're back on track now.' He then noticed the robin still resting. 'What's her name?'

'Still debating on that.' They watched the bird fly and nestle on the crown of his head. 'But...' Rennick didn't have any personal memories of her, but the name was fitting. 'I like the name Ruby.'

'Ruby it is then.' Another tap of their beer bottles. 'See, Rennick?'

'What?'

'Does this mean we're okay, like? No hard feelings?'

Rennick was quiet for a moment. He looked at Caz. Deep down, he expected some feelings to bubble to the surface. The hatred and anger he felt when he read the letter. That feeling of betrayal from someone he did respect. His blood boiling. How he wanted to give the leccy the same treatment he gave Billy during their 'meeting.' How he wanted to crush every bone in his body when he chased him throughout Administration. But, none of that happened. Not even the pain from transforming entered his mind. The man was content. Finally at peace. The pair turned back to watch the darts game.

'Aye. No hard feelings.'

[luveline]

For the zombie Steve au would you ever consider writing a blurb from before the college when Steve realizes he likes reader?

for you, my love!! steve zombie au —steve realises he likes you romantically, fem!reader

You're singing under your breath. Steve has it on record that he thinks you're a bad singer, but you don't sound half bad. Low, dulcet, you're singing an old song everybody knows. 

"Somewhere, beyond the sea, she's there waiting for me." You don't bother with the next line, interested more in the sock you're attempting to darn, the needle in your hand clumsy but well-meant. "Oh, ouch." 

"Prick yourself?" 

"I'm sorry?" you joke, laughing without answering his question. "I don't think that's any of your business, Harrington."

He grins at your saccharine, bubbly voice, enthused with laughter and unhurried. For once, you're not scared or anxious. The simple task of a repetitive action has distracted you from the reality of the world, and you're still being nice to him regardless. Steve's starting to think that, despite his bad moods and ill temper, you might like him. Or, starting to know it with surety. 

He figured when your shyness getting changed didn't ever quite abate, when you started snuggling into his waist at night, when one day you began complimenting him for things beyond survival skills —your hair is such a nice brown, Stevie— when you started calling him fucking Stevie, that you must harbour sweet feelings for him. He figured, and yet he had no idea how to feel about it. 

Steve started to confuse his feelings for yours, and vice versa. Wondering if maybe he was being nicer to you than he needed to be because he knew that was what you wanted. But he's sitting here now, cross-legged beside you on a double bed with no sheets in an abandoned house that's completely sealed from the inside out, no survival instincts, no ulterior motives, and he knows he likes you. That he might start to love you, if he has the time. 

He thinks about kissing you. 

"Do you need a bandaid?" he asks genuinely. 

"For this?" you ask, showing him your finger and the pinprick bead of blood that's blossomed there. You lick it clean. "No, thank you." 

"Alright. Want me to finish your sock?" 

"No, that's okay." You give him a suspicious look. "Why?" 

"What do you mean, why?" 

"Why would I want you to finish my sock?" you ask.

"Uh, 'cos you just hurt yourself? I'm trying to be nice." 

"Ooh, it suits you," you say, rolling your eyes. 

He reaches over to pinch your side. You jump, startled by his touch and surprised by his wanting to touch you, he can see it on your face. He really should be kinder to you. You don't do anything wrong, you're not mean, you're not even a liability or anything so strict. You're just a girl —you're more than a girl. You're the best friend he has right now, and you look out for him in more than necessities. 

"Who do you think you are?" he asks, giving you another jab. 

You laugh and squirm away from him. "I think I'm someone with a needle in their hand, ready to stab you," you say. 

"Really, you'd stab me? You're heartless. And here I thought you liked me." 

"I do like you," you say, tucking the needle you'd been waving at him behind a few threads of floss in the bobbin. 

"I like you too," he says. As soon as he says it, he knows it's true. You may not understand the depth of his words, but Steve does, and he can't shake the feeling that you need a reward. For being so likeable. For liking him first. "Give me your sock, I can darn better than you can." 

"You've had more practice," you explain away, though you do pass him your sock.

"Are you going to finish the song?" he asks. 

You glare. "Thought I sounded like a dying cat?" 

"You'll never let that go, will you?" 

"No, not likely." 

You laugh again, and this time Steve joins in. He retrieves the needle and sets about fixing the mistakes you'd made, hiding a smile as you lay down by his thigh, your hand curled up by his foot, and start to sing. "You have to join in," you say ugrnelty between lines. 

Steve joins in. Not worried about sounding good, not worried about anything, the two of you making up the words you forgot, out of tune but far from out of time. 

[crushedsweets]

ok ok ok ok so i feel like,m idk. hat do you think the creeps are like when they laugh or smile. like full on snorting sobbing out of breath red tomato face laughing or just lik "haaha" or what

HIIII i love this ask its so cute. again, applies to my au, so if i mention smth weird its cuz its smth deep in my brain.... LOL

tims a chuckler... its like a deep, almost raspy chuckle. if its ever funny enough for a full laugh, he's wheezing.

brian also chuckles, but he has a huge smile and it sounds a lot more genuine than tim half the time. we all know what his smile looks like it is very pleasant .

toby's always cheesing. ok jk no he's not but he likes to laugh, it feels good. he'd start with a closed mouth, trying not to smile laugh cuz he's also annoying and doesnt want to give ppl the satisfaction that theyre funny, but he can't hold it in and will literally throw his head back laughing at random shit

kate has a cute little smile, those little crescent smile lines at the corner of her motuh - she has a quiet laugh most of the time, she's really not the type to go HAHAHA...

natalie snorts. if smth is funny she's snorting and u know it. not even laughing she'll just snort n nod along

jack just has a very normal like. hahah. like if its funny he's gonna bbe like haha. IDK HOW TO EXPLAIN like theres litetally so many guys in my classes who just laugh like hahaha and thats jack.

sally giggles, obviously . shes like lol. hehe. haha. HEHE. she has those over-sized big ass teeth that kids have when they havent grown into their adult teeth yet, so it looks rlly cute when she smiles. always smiles w her teeth

ben wheezes, snorts, rolls his head back, fucking grips his stomach, he goes the full mile. it is never that funny but wow will he laugh.

jeff also wheezes but it sounds like he's a chainsmoker,closer to tims wheeze rather than bens wheeze. its ugly. he smiles w his teeth too, and its fucking. his teeth wont even be touching his smile is just huge idk like hes ugly idk bro omfg. im sorry. no. he always sounds like hes laughing at you, rather than with you

liu wheezes too, runs in the family i guess. he just sounds like a much more pleasant, genuinely happy version of jeff. laughs with you. will put a hand on ur shoulder if u made a joke and laugh and tilt his head down and shake his head n shit.

jane has a quick sudden "HAH" type of laugh. it kinda surprises people cuz youd expect more of a gentle "haha" thing but its so sudden and loud and its cute fr.

nina fucking giggles she wont shut the FUCK UP she will keep going and snort and slap her knee. her and ben r the same theyre so annoying. shes so cute though.

ann has an annoying ass sultry laugh. like it almost seems like shes forcing it to be sexy. its terrible. she smirks too. its awful

lulu has a very light, airy laugh. never smiles with her teeth. it almost echoes when shes in fog

sadies laugh sounds like shes crying like the amt of time shes been laughing hella hard and someones liek RU OK and shes liek YEA ... then covers her face to laugh its so bad

dina has a sinister ass laugh idk how to explain that one either. a mix of HEHEHE and HAHAHAH like its never that serious but shes laughing like idek.

[ysmtttty]

Red Ferrari

Chapter 2

Azris AU, where Azriel is a mechanic and has his own service station. One day, Eris comes there because something is wrong with his car.

AO3 Chapter 1 Chapter 3

"Go on a date with me," Eris said, completely throwing Azriel off balance. Did he really say that?

"Excuse me?"

"I said go on a date with me, Azriel," Eris repeated, his voice calm and composed as if he hadn’t just asked him on a date.

"No," Azriel refused.

"Why not?" Eris asked, raising an eyebrow. He sounded genuinely puzzled, which made sense for a person who was used to getting everything he wanted with a snap of his fingers. However, Azriel reminded himself that it was better not to get involved with people like Eris, no matter how hot they were.

"Just no. The checkup would take three hours, you could wait inside or pick up the car later," he quickly changed the subject, looking at the Porsche. Eris shrugged and ordered a taxi, completely unbothered.

Azriel was a little surprised at how quickly Eris gave up. Not that he wanted Vanserra to chase him, persuade him, and so on. No. It was just that Eris seemed like the kind of person who always got what he wanted. After all, he was an attorney. But maybe, it was beneath his dignity to persuade someone to go on a date with him.

And yet, it was good that Eris did not insist. Azriel thought that he might have agreed. In another universe. In other circumstances. In a situation where he did not know that Eris was a spoiled rich boy who looked down on people like Azriel. It was quite possible that if they had met in some bar, Azriel would have made the first move himself. But definitely not here.

Since Vanserra had already left, Azriel returned to his Porsche only in the evening, after finishing with the other cars that were waiting for him in the garage. Cassian was walking around for some reason, inspecting the car and commenting on the design, as if they were millionaires and about to buy one.

Despite his preference for working in silence, Azriel did not chase him away. On the contrary, he nodded and answered with meaningful "mhms" when Cassian made another comment. Obviously, he really liked the Porsche.

"You’ve been lucky with clients these days," Cassian said, sitting on the nearest bench while Azriel looked under the hood of the car. "With such expensive cars, you'll soon be able to open your own workshop."

"And burden myself with problems like hiring people like you? No, thank you," Azriel replied sarcastically, without any real venom.

"Hey! I thought we were best friends!" Cassian dramatically raised his hands and then pressed one hand to his chest. "I feel betrayed. How quickly friends are forgotten in the pursuit of money."

While Cassian continued to rant about how Azriel had already become arrogant with all this money, he continued to inspect Eris's car. The Porsche really didn’t need a checkup, but just to be sure, Azriel conducted a full inspection.

Later that evening, they sat in a bar together – he, Cassian, and Rhysand, who was distracted by phone calls every five minutes. At first, it was unnoticeable, just a couple of calls on the phone. Cassian even joked that he and Feyre couldn’t spend more than five minutes without each other.

However, after the third or fourth call, it started to become annoying.

"Excuse me," Rhysand said, as he once again picked up the phone and walked away to avoid the noise of the bar interfering with the conversation. When he returned, both Cassian and Azriel looked at him questioningly.

"Either your number was posted online with a 'husband for an hour' ad, or I don’t know how else to explain this," Cassian said. Rhysand rolled his eyes and snorted in response to this comment.

"It's a lawyer," he said.

"Is something wrong with the workshop?" Azriel asked, a little tense. Once, they already had problems with bureaucratic issues, and back then Rhysand had also used all his connections and called all possible lawyers to save the workshop and avoid a huge fine.

"No, it’s not related to work," Rhysand shook his head, but something in his expression betrayed tension. Azriel couldn’t help but notice how tense his shoulders were or how he tried not to frown.

"Then what is it?" Cassian asked impatiently. "Come on, tell us what’s wrong. We’re almost like brothers. It’s not nice to keep secrets like this."

"It’s Mor..." Rhysand began, but another call interrupted him. "Speak of the devil," he said jokingly and once again went away to answer it.

When he returned, Cassian was already in the middle of an emotional story about how Nesta Archeron’s heart was starting to melt. About how she almost agreed to have dinner with him. The whole story could have been summed up in a few sentences, but Cassian stretched it out for half an hour.

By the time he finished, no one remembered Mor and any personal matter with Rhysand. The family drama could remain within his family.

"By the way, Azriel already got himself a new regular client," Cassian said. Rhysand raised an eyebrow with interest.

"Really?" he smirked, hearing a certain hint in Cassian's tone. "Male? Female?"

"Male. And don’t get any ideas, it’s not what you’re thinking about," Azriel rolled his eyes, realizing where the conversation was heading. "Yes, he asked me on a date, but I said no. I have no interest."

"Come on, man. Dude literally drives a Porsche and a Ferrari!" Cassian exclaimed.

"Even if he drove a Tesla, I’m not interested," Azriel snorted. He was interested. But people like Eris were always bad news. "Besides, why should I be interested in a relationship at all?"

Not that he was going to spend the rest of his life alone, surrounded only by cars. No. Finding a partner had never been a problem for Azriel, whether it was girls or guys, they always approached him first. And even if he made the first move, most often he was met halfway.

However, after several failed relationships, plus the disaster with Mor, Azriel was not a fan of serious relationships. Lately, all he had were one-night stands and other no-strings-attached arrangements. No feelings, just mutual pleasure.

"I don’t know, I think you could try dating again," Rhysand said with a somewhat thoughtful expression.

"Why? To be a love-struck fool like you two?" Azriel snorted.

"Hey!" Cassian exclaimed. "We’re not fools."

"Right, it’s not you who serenades almost every night."

"It’s a romantic gesture!"

The rest of the evening passed with drinks, similar arguments, and other things. Azriel definitely did not think about changing his mind and agreeing to a date with Eris. And Azriel definitely did not think about Eris at all.

The next morning, an Aston Martin arrived at the workshop. For a second, Azriel thought that maybe Eris had recommended the place to some of his rich friends, but within seconds, Eris himself got out of the car. Damn.

"Good morning," he smiled, waving and leaning against the car. Azriel rolled his eyes, adjusted the ever-falling strap of his overalls, and reluctantly waved back.

"Hey," he said, "your Porsche is in perfect condition."

He looked towards the car, thinking that someone must be inside so that Eris could sit in his Porsche and take it, while the second person would leave in the Aston Martin. But the car was empty. Just Vanserra. Great.

"Let me guess, this beauty needs a checkup too?" Azriel tried not to sound grumpy. It was unlikely anyone else would grumble about new expensive orders, especially when there was little to do considering the cars were new.

"Absolutely right," Eris nodded, keeping that annoying smirk on his face. "How much for the Porsche?"

Azriel named the sum, this time not a penny more, just the exact price.

"So, have you thought about it?" Eris asked while transferring the money. This time, too, exactly the amount Azriel had said.

"About what?"

"The date."

Azriel looked at him like an idiot. It turned out that Eris had not given up on the idea yesterday, he just decided to continue insisting today.

"Still no," Azriel answered. Before Eris could open his mouth to respond, he turned to the Aston Martin, opening the car’s hood.

Eris returned the next day. And the day after that. And overall, he appeared in the workshop every day, which drove Azriel crazy. As it turned out, Vanserra had a ton of cars. And by a ton, it meant a really, really lot. Throughout the week, he arrived in a new car every day, and Azriel swore that if this continued, his eye would start twitching.

Every day they had a short conversation, exchanged barbs, then Eris asked him on a date, and Azriel refused. Routine, what can you say.

Today, Eris arrived in a Bentley, looking like he hadn’t slept in the last 24 hours. But even that did not erase his signature smirk when he looked at Azriel, once again repeating the same phrase about the date.

"Seriously, what’s the problem?" Eris asked, hiding his hands in the pockets of his coat.

What’s the problem? Honestly, Azriel himself couldn’t understand why he kept refusing. Nor could he understand why Eris was so persistent. It seemed that for a simple fling of a day or two, no one would bother so much. Maybe it was about the challenge, the feeling that he needed to come out victorious in this situation. A matter of honor and all that, with Eris’s inflated ego, Azriel wouldn’t be surprised if that were true.

Partly, this was the reason why Azriel couldn’t agree himself. A feeling of some kind of defeat? But more than anything, the social difference between him and Vanserra scared him. Even though it was the 21st century, Eris still seemed too out of his league. With those rich jerk manners. He arrived in a new car every day like clockwork just to ask him on a date, what else could be added?

"Just no," he shrugged.

"Got it," Eris nodded, looking like he definitely had some plan in his head. And Azriel couldn’t yet guess what it was, but still tensed a bit. "So, I guess the Mercedes checkup will cost the same as the other cars?"

Azriel nodded and within a couple of minutes, the money came through. Three times more than needed. Fuck.

"Is this your plan?" he asked, not hiding the irritation in his voice. Vanserra had remembered from the first time how much sending extra money pissed him off, and actively used it. Damn rich lawyers. "Throwing money at me, thinking you can buy my agreement?"

"I’m not buying your agreement," Eris shrugged. "I’m offering a deal. You can return the extra money if you go on a date with me."

The bastard had the audacity to smirk, looking like a cat that ate the canary. Azriel rolled his eyes again.

"Ten out of ten, top-notch strategy," he commented sarcastically. Eris just shrugged, the gesture saying all’s fair in war. "And of course, you’re sure I’m interested in returning the money enough to agree to a date."

"Oh, I’m sure," the smirk became even more smug if that was possible. "You know, I have a lot of cars, and I think it’s time to check each one. If you refuse to go on a date with me, I’ll transfer more than necessary for each checkup. And each time, the amount will double."

Azriel looked at him, not understanding how he was supposed to react to this. He just threatened him with money transfers? A mentally unstable person couldn’t be such a successful lawyer, right?

However, the worst part was that this threat worked on Azriel because if there was one thing he couldn’t stand, it was handouts.

"This is unique blackmail," he said.

"The most unique blackmail in my life, believe me," Eris chuckled, "usually people pay me to not do something, not the other way around. But it’s quite engaging."

"Very funny."

"I’m not joking," Eris smiled boyishly, "I have a lot of patience and a lot of money to keep my word. And you have too much pride to stand it."

Azriel wanted to tell him to go to hell, but Eris was right. He wouldn’t be able to simply accept this money if Vanserra kept his word and paid several times more for repairs. He could always just refuse to service his cars, but Eris would likely continue sending money without any reason.

"One date," Azriel frowned, speaking after a while. "Just one."

"Deal," Eris smiled.

Damn, what had he gotten himself into?

*       *       *

"You agreed to a date?" Rhysand asked, raising an eyebrow, obviously surprised by what he heard. Azriel already regretted telling them based on Rhysand and Cassian's reactions. "Who are you and what have you done with our friend?"

"Very funny," Azriel answered dryly, rolling his eyes. "It’s just one date. We’ll probably get laid afterward, and he’ll stop bothering me with his idiotic threats."

"Which means we both lose a stable source of a good income," Rhysand said, not hiding his disappointment. As the owner of the workshop, he obviously got a share of the profits Azriel made. And Eris had brought them more in the past week than all other clients did in a few months.

"Which means I’ll restore my nervous system," Azriel countered.

"At least let me shake hands with this saint," Rhysand joked. "I need to see the person who’s that into you at least once."

Azriel rolled his eyes, not wanting to repeat again that Eris wasn’t into him. But Cassian laughed, and Rhysand smirked. Two bastards.

"And where are you going?" Cassian asked curiously. "After all that showing off, he’s probably taking you to a fancy restaurant or something."

"No idea," Azriel shook his head. "The idiot isn’t answering my messages, and I’m not going to look desperate over some date he himself pushed me into."

"And yet you agreed," Cassian said. Azriel silenced him with a look.

Maybe that was his problem. Pretending he didn’t like the current circumstances at all. That he was forced. That it wasn’t by his own will. When in reality, Azriel was scared.

Scared that he’d like it.

That he'd liked Eris Vanserra, who, Azriel had no doubt, would disappear as soon as he got what he wanted. You didn’t need to be a genius to know people like Eris. For him, it was just another amusement, a new challenge, as if he didn’t have enough.

"I think you’re dramatizing," Rhysand said calmly. "It’s just a date. If you don’t like it, you’ll part ways. But maybe you will like it."

"You’re not helping," Azriel shook his head.

At that moment, he received a message.

"Tomorrow at seven. Are you free?"

On one hand, Azriel respected Eris’s no-bullshit way of communicating, but on the other, a simple "hi" was somehow missing. Nonetheless, he replied with a short "yes," ignoring how Rhysand and Cassian looked at him, thinking he didn’t notice.

"Great. I’ll pick you up. Send me the address," the next message read.

And that was it. No instructions, no valuable hints like "look decent, not like you just crawled out from under a car" or anything like that.

"Is that your friend?" Rhysand smirked.

"Yeah," Azriel nodded, sounding a bit irritated. "He just wrote 'I’ll pick you up at seven.'"

"And you expected something else?" Cassian asked in surprise, "Like some conversation in the spirit of 'How was your day, my favorite mechanic?'"

"No, of course not. But at least specifying where we’re going would’ve been enough," Azriel grumbled, still trying to maintain his irritated nature about the whole situation. His friends only nodded with a meaningful "aha," making him want to throw them both out of his apartment.

"At least we can bet on which car he’ll pick you up in," Cassian joked. "I’m betting on the Porsche."

"You just really like that Porsche," Azriel chuckled. "I’m betting on the Ferrari."

They both looked at Rhysand, who shrugged and said Bentley.

Eris arrived in a Ferrari, and Azriel couldn’t help but think he had expected it. He didn’t know why, it just felt right to think this was his favorite car. Vanserra himself looked perfect – a black shirt with a dark red tie, and a jacket thrown over his shoulders. Though he always dressed well. Azriel didn’t even try to hide the fact that he was checking him out. No doubt, it flattered Eris’s ego, who smirked slyly but didn’t comment, and for that, Azriel was grateful.

“Exactly at seven,” Azriel said, his hands in his pants pockets. Damn, yesterday he had to ask Rhysand for some decent clothes because, as it turned out, his wardrobe only had the suit from his graduation, and everything else was either too casual – and Azriel was sure Eris would drag him to some fancy place – or all the clothes had at least once been worn in the workshop and now had stains of motor oil and soot.

“I love punctuality,” Eris shrugged. He wouldn’t say that he had been hanging around Azriel’s apartment complex for the past fifteen minutes. Instead, he looked Azriel over. “You look great.”

Azriel wanted to find a hint of sarcasm or mockery in his voice, to remind himself that he didn’t like Eris. But he found none. Damn Vanserra.

“Yeah, I’ve already heard that I look better in clean clothes,” he shrugged, recalling his words. Petty? Very. Deserved? Probably.

Eris rolled his eyes, shaking his head. “That really bothered you?” he snorted. “If so, I’m sorry. I was tired and not watching what I was saying.”

Wow, the great Eris Vanserra could apologize. Azriel restrained himself from another sarcastic comment, waving it off and muttering, “Forget it.”

When he approached the car, Eris pointed to the driver’s side for some reason.

“Am I your personal chauffeur?” Azriel asked, raising an eyebrow, pretending that the chance to drive a Ferrari for the second time didn’t excite him at all.

“No, I just don’t like driving, but you clearly enjoy it,” Eris shrugged.

“Observant,” Azriel said, but he got into the driver’s seat without further questions. To hell with Eris’s lawyerly habit of noticing all the details and then stating them outright; today he was driving the damn Ferrari.

While Azriel drove out of his apartment complex parking lot, Eris set up the built-in navigator, indicating the destination.

“So where are we going?” Azriel asked.

“Surprise,” Eris smirked, leaning his head back on the seat. “But I think you’ll like it.”

“You don’t know what I like,” Azriel said, mentally scolding himself. He had already agreed to this date, so why take everything he said so defensively?

“Yeah, that’s why I said ‘think,’” Eris snorted.

Azriel looked at the navigator; for now, the route led out of the city. Not missing the opportunity, he sped up, avoiding all the traffic on the more or less empty roads. Eris didn’t comment when he exceeded the speed limit, and either he didn’t care, or he would later send those fines directly to Azriel’s address, but right now, it didn’t matter because Azriel was enjoying the ride.

The trip passed in a kind of silence, broken only by the radio. Honestly, Azriel had no idea what to talk about with Eris. Mechanisms? Internal combustion engines? Idiot clients, since they both dealt with people daily? And why should he think about conversation topics when he was the one invited on the date?

Eris didn’t seem bothered by the silence at all; he occasionally got distracted by his phone, responding to some messages, making Azriel feel like his personal driver.

“Can you say something?” he said, trying not to sound too irritated.

Eris looked up at him, muttering something under his breath as he put his phone into his jacket’s inner pocket.

“Yeah, sorry, no work today, I’m all yours,” he said in his easy manner. A pause, as if thinking about what to talk about, before he added, “Do you like cars?”

Azriel couldn’t help but smirk. They both laughed at the question.

“Do you like courts?” Azriel countered.

“Not really,” Eris shook his head. “But I like winning in them if that says anything.”

“How unexpected.”

Eris smirked, and Azriel glanced at him as they stopped at a red light. He looked relaxed. Not that different from the arrogant jerk who had barged into his workshop a week ago, but something was different about Eris now. Some tangible lightness that was hard to ignore. Maybe...

No. No way, Azriel mentally forbade himself and his thoughts from going down that path. He didn’t need extra thoughts about Eris Vanserra, who already was present enough in his life in person, to also bother him mentally.

“Turn left here,” Eris reminded, apparently sensing that Azriel had drifted into thoughts. Cursing, he turned the wheel and took the necessary turn. “Almost there.”

Another two minutes and they indeed arrived. Azriel raised his eyebrows and then looked at Eris with an unspoken question, ‘Are you serious?’

“A car showroom,” he said dryly.

“Does that surprise you so much?” Eris smirked, getting out of the car. Azriel followed suit.

“Yeah, because first, the official opening is only the day after tomorrow. And second, it’s not a trivial place for a date.”

Eris shrugged, heading towards the massive building with a glass roof. Azriel walked with him, expecting some sarcastic comment in response.

"I invited you on a date in a non-trivial way too," Eris said, and Azriel wanted to roll his eyes. "However, this place is open. They're preparing for the motor show, closed previews, and other thematic stuff."

He sounded like someone who couldn’t be bothered with such details. And that was no surprise. If Azriel were a wealthy lawyer with his own firm and millions in his pocket, he wouldn’t delve into the specifics either. However, there was something about how Eris had chosen the place for their date.

"And here I thought we’d just go to some Michelin restaurant," Azriel joked. Eris chuckled.

"I don’t think you’d like it," he said. And damn, could he not sound like he genuinely thought about this and Azriel’s feelings? "Besides, I wasn’t sure you had a suitable suit to get us inside per the dress code. Though, I miscalculated the latter."

There he was. The bastard from last week in his workshop.

"Thanks, I was starting to doubt you had a kind twin brother who isn’t a complete jerk," Azriel said, trying not to think about the grin spreading across Eris’s annoyingly attractive face after his words.

"Didn’t want to disappoint you."

With that, they walked inside. The showroom wasn’t crowded, mostly young guys and girls with badges bustling around. A few people in suits who were inspecting the expensive cars with an air of importance.

All around the perimeter of the building stood, moved into position, and roared with their engines, sleek, stylish supercars. Well, not just supercars, of course: there were plenty of regular models too, but a lot of attention was given to flashy sports roadsters and speedsters.

Eris greeted an acquaintance who looked like a local worker. Azriel didn’t really pay attention to the conversation, instead saying a quick “I’ll take a look around,” as he wandered off to check out the cars.

Okay, maybe Eris did know where to take him. Maybe he liked it here. Maybe this date wasn’t as disastrous as Azriel had feared. But he wouldn’t say that out loud.

He felt Eris’s eyes on his back as he walked along the rows of cars. Nevertheless, for now, Azriel was more interested in examining the metal works of art before him.

When he turned back, he saw a young woman in a dark green dress that left little to the imagination, talking to Eris. She was pretty, smiling, clearly trying to engage him in conversation. Well, it wasn’t surprising – Eris was objectively attractive, and his presence at a closed preview was a clear sign of wealth. However, something inside irked Azriel because the girl was talking to what seemed like his date.

Azriel approached Eris from behind, catching himself almost putting his hand on his waist. What was wrong with him today?

“Hey,” he said in a dry tone to the girl, who seemed to get the hint but wasn’t quite ready to back off.

“Hey,” she replied, looking at Eris as if he should decide who would stay with him. “Actually, we were talking…”

“About how I’m with someone else,” Eris finished for her, hiding his indifference behind a polite smile. “Have a good evening.”

The girl quickly retreated, but Azriel noticed out of the corner of his eye that she had already found another visitor to flirt with.

“Good conversation?” he asked.

“Jealous?” Eris smirked, teasing. He turned to him so they were now standing face to face. And in Eris’s russet eyes, Azriel seemed to see a flicker of fire.

“No,” Azriel shook his head, mirroring the smirk. “But I remember someone promised they’d be mine tonight.”

“And I intend to keep my word.”

The same worker Eris had greeted earlier approached them. They exchanged pleasantries with Azriel, after which the guy gave them something like a tour of the place because, as Eris himself said, “I don’t understand anything here.”

By the end of the tour, they were given a chance to ride in a concept Subaru “performance” car in an open area, and after that, Azriel surrendered and admitted he hadn’t expected anything like this from Eris.

Of course, it was nothing like a regular date, or even just a date – but he had more fun from this kind of outing than if they had spent these hours in some stuffy restaurant over dinner, nervously trying to find a topic of conversation.

Damn, he was having fun. He genuinely enjoyed spending time here, at the car show, riding in the latest sports cars, while Eris grumbled that he didn’t feel any difference, which only forced Azriel to start explaining to him the conceptual differences between Japanese and Chinese sports cars, as if Eris would understand and grasp any of it. But even so, Eris listened to him, kept grumbling, but listened.

After Eris’s acquaintance left, saying he had shown them everything, and seemingly got the hint that it was time to go – Azriel wasn’t sure, but it seemed that almost subtle nod of Eris’s head was indeed a sign for that – they headed to the bar on the second floor of the building. The place looked like a typical hangout spot for millionaires who went for drinks after playing golf or playing billiards, but it was almost empty. Just a few people at the tables and the bartender.

“How do you rate my date planning skills?” Eris asked with a smug smile, taking a seat at the bar and ordering two glasses of whiskey. Azriel rolled his eyes, sitting next to him but couldn’t help but smile.

“So far, a solid eight,” he said.

“Just an eight? I’m offended,” Eris replied dramatically, sighing in exaggerated disappointment.

Azriel chuckled, taking a sip of the whiskey placed in front of him. He didn’t doubt that Eris had already ordered a personal driver who would come and take them home, so he didn’t have to worry about the issue of drunk driving.

He also had no doubt about how seamlessly Eris fit into the bar’s atmosphere. Not just because he was wearing a suit worth several thousand dollars, no, Eris looked natural in this setting. Natural among the rich and wealthy, he was one of them.

“Everything okay?” Eris asked.

“Yeah,” Azriel nodded, snapping out of his thoughts. And why did everything always come back to money and social status? “It’s just not often I drink whiskey that costs as much as my car.”

Eris snorted, saying something like “fair enough.”

“This is a good date,” Azriel decided to say, thinking it would be rude to brush it off with just a joke after all the positive emotions he had experienced this evening.

“Did you just give me a compliment?” Eris looked at him with mock surprise.

“Oh, shut up.”

“Oh, but I want to hear more nice words from you,” Eris continued. “This is a huge progress from ‘you jerk, Eris’ or ‘go to hell, Eris,’ which I’ve been hearing all week.”

“Do you have a kink for praise?” Azriel asked, raising an eyebrow.

“More like politeness, but who knows. I thought you tested everything in practice.”

Azriel snorted, Eris smirked and drank his whiskey. It was easy to talk to him. Azriel found himself thinking that he genuinely liked talking and even flirting with Eris. And that yes, he wasn’t a complete jerk, and he could be social.

And they talked. Quite a lot, as they managed to finish an entire bottle of whiskey, after which they debated whether they should order another one.

The evening ended with Eris’s driver taking them home. Azriel thought it was a good date. So good that for a second he thought that he would go on a second date too. tag list: @sizzlingstarlightsky @isnotwhatyourethinking @molcat07 @chairofchaos

[kattythingz]

Where is he? / Where is the man with whom you’ll spend your life?

Penelopeeeeee... Penelopee.... And ED AS PENELOPE, SIKE. I did say my original epic au stemmed from this root concept >:D! (Ft. Nina as Telemachus, obviously.) This au has been a terrible brainworm since before the Ocean Saga, but the Wisdom Saga broke into my house personally and kicked the shit out of me with that Man of the House reprise. I think I blacked out between then and drawing this.

Rip to all the edling animatics I'd make to Epic if only I had the skills, starting from Man of the House. Sigh 😔

Bonus Ed & Nina scene under the cut~

The Emperor of Xing has been gone nearly a decade now.

At eleven years old, the heiress to the throne, Nina, begins to grow anxious of the suitors inviting themselves into the palace, all to win her father’s heart. All for naught, however, as Ed only has eyes for the distant sea; frozen at the window, he watches every new ship that docks at the bay.

Always hoping it’s Ling’s ship. Always deflating when it’s not.

One such day, Nina’s watching the sea with Ed, this time standing properly at the dock with the breeze in their hair. When the last of the ships have docked, none to Ed’s hope, Nina asks with a small voice whether Ed will marry any of the suitors.

Ed turns surprised eyes to her. “Why would you ask that?” he asks genuinely.

“Because…” Nina starts, wringing her hands anxiously. “You married Papa to be happy together, right? So… so, if you want to be happy again…”

She stops when Ed laughs. “Nina, marrying one of those suitors definitely won’t make me happy. I was never even interested in marriage when I met Ling, you know? I wouldn’t marry one of those guys in comparison if they begged me on their knees and punched themselves.”

Nina giggles at the image, and Ed ruffles her hair with a grin.

“I know it’s hard,” he continues, “but don’t worry yourself about those guys. They’re my problem to deal with.”

“But... the other day... I heard one of them say…” She bites her lip. “I heard them joke about killing you. To—to take your crown…”

Ed knows what she means. They joked about cutting off his head in his sleep to slide Ling’s crown from his neck. He heard them too. 

He schools his revolted reaction even now still, letting out a sigh before kneeling at Nina’s level. She doesn’t fight it when he tugs her into a comforting hug.

“Then they’ll be sorely disappointed when they fail. I’ll stay regent until the day your father gets home... or the day I die waiting for him.” Ed smiles sadly to himself with the last words, and Nina starts at them too.

He doesn’t give her a chance to protest before pulling back to look her in the eye and smile properly.

“And, if that ever happens,” he tells her, “then they still won’t get their kicks, because this kingdom will just have a beautiful queen instead.”

Nina’s eyes go big. Ed sobers in comparison, looking solemn as he holds her eye. “I won’t lie to you; those suitors will try to poison you with a lot of thoughts. They’ll tell you Xing has never had a queen before, or that you aren’t Ling and I’s blood. But all of it’s bullshit. Even if Xing’s never had a queen before, you are the rightful blood to the throne. Ling and I made sure of that when we first adopted you, when we fed you our combined blood in proper ceremony.”

Nina pulls a face, and Ed lets out a laugh. “Yeah, it’s pretty gross. But the process does hold meaning, especially here. It means you are Ling and I’s blood. And anyone who says otherwise clearly has some cultural history to catch up with.”

“But... I don’t want to be queen,” Nina says lowly, looking down at her hands. “I... I know I will be. But you’re the king now. And then it’ll be Papa when he gets back. I don’t…” 

I don't want either of you to die yet.

She doesn’t say it, but Ed hears it all the same, and his heart aches for her. 

He nudges her chin to meet his eye again, expression softer. “I know. Trust me, doll, I know. This is all still a far ways into the future. But I want you to think about it, so you’re not unprepared. Alright?”

“Alright.”

Ed’s eyes lift when Nina nods meekly. He stands up again, holding out his hand for her to grab, and she does so immediately with a squeeze. “That’s my girl. That’s enough depressing talks today. Since it’s still early, why don’t we hit the kitchens to... surprise the suitors a little?”

Nina catches onto his mischievous intent easily—truly his daughter—and giggles. “What kind of surprise today?”

“Hmmm... you had a pretty good idea with their wine last time, didn’t you?”

Nina’s excited little gasp is well worth the trouble from the suitors that morning.

[hollyhomburg]

Before I Leave You (Pt. 49)

(Sneak Peek) (Omegaverse au, Mafia au, Bts x Reader)

Summary: a series of bad days has hobi feeling all sorts of fragile. you keep him from breaking.

Tags: Hurt/ comfort, Hobi x m/c focus, self-esteem issues, implied/referenced self-harm (not in like a intentional way, more in a letting yourself get hurt to prove a point way), falling in love, transphobia, Homophobia, Flashbacks to past Sexual assault, coerced sex, Manipulation, Implied emotional abuse. 

W/c: 10.0k

A/n: Be mindful the tags with this one! I wouldn’t say that the self-harm in this is like- the most triggering thing i’ve ever written but still! there is a SERIOUS homophobia (alphaphobia?) in this sneek peek! ALSO- the lovely @imperiussexrex​ has made a little bily Discord server over here- be mindful of the rules and tbh SPOILERS ABOUND- but its been really nice to talk to people! 

Previous Chapter - Masterlist

Chapter 49 Sneak Peek: Rotting Halo 

The shame follows him when he leaves too, making his feet drag the whole walk home. He hunches his shoulders against the sun- isn’t fall supposed to be cloudy? Why did it have to be such a nice day when Hobi’s in such a black mood? He knows the way home by memory, he barely has to think to walk it. 

In a few months, it will be too cold to make the trip, and he’ll have to use his car all the time.

Hobi genuinely loves his car- but after the initial fanfare it had gotten a lot harder to drive to work. At first the purr of the engine was intoxicating, equally as enticing as the idea that he finally he had something so nice that was only his. There’s a sense of identity in it; The car looks like him the same way that looking at the house feels like looking at you and Yoongi. The average person wouldn't say that places should hold so much meaning, but to Hobi they do. 

The car is a place to him, a small little bundle of safety and pack that he can transport wherever. A portable vestibule for the packs prayers in the form of beach trips and fastfood runs. It’s funny to be nostalgic over something that hasn’t happened yet. But Hobi knows that he’ll drive the car until it rusts out. 

At first, he even liked the looks that passersby’s shot him. a bright-eyed kid here, an old sailor with a rough-hewed face there. But then the hushed murmurs and jealous jabs started. The casual indifference of his coworkers and the insistence that Hobi could pick up the late-night hours.

“Or do you not want to risk getting mugged when you drive home- oh wait I forgot you live in the nice part of town now-”

Yesterday at work, he’d overheard something he shouldn’t have, he’d finished up early on an order for a wedding (too many white roses, too much baby’s breath) and had headed out back to help unload more annual flats with the rest of the coworkers. His body hidden by the box truck. the sound of his steps quieting as gravel became packed dusty earth and his paced slowed.

 He recognized the hushed sound of a secret. The low tones of people who don’t want to be overheard. 

“Funny that we get all the hard work when carrot top in there gets to play with daisies all day” the plastic trays thud against the metal plant racks. 

“Boss plays favorites and it’s not like he needs the money” Hobi had gone still,  The bitter huff, the derision leaking from their voices- every bit of it rubs Hobi raw “Hobi's just a sugar baby.”

 “I’m not surprised. I kind of thought-” the person breaks off saying something Hobi can't hear, indistinguishable from the rush and thump of unloading trays. “-Wonder what he had to do to get that car.”

“Probably a lot. Can you believe he’s got 3 other alphas in his pack? That kind of dynamic can’t be fun.”

“What you think he takes a knot up the ass or something?” The jab prompts laughter. The joke clearly hitting on some sort of grade school level humor but Hobi just burns regardless, unable to be brave and just come around the side of the truck and confront them about it. Because Hobi can never be brave when it’s just himself on the line. Anger makes him shake and he has to ball his hands into fists to keep himself from trembling.

“I’m saying it’s already weird that an alpha likes flowers so much.”

Coming Saturday March 4th at 5pm EST (Timezone adjustments below) 

[silawastaken]

the way it genuinely brought tears to my eyes as i finished the last chapter of the soulmate au. like??? this fic has been my LIFE for the past couple months and seeing the update always made my week 😭.

though I actually cannot wait to see whatever else you write, especially the spinoff and two slow dancers!!! (i haven’t read chapter 1 of the spinoff yet but i WILL right after i finish writing this)

and i’ve also met some amazing people through this fic which is crazy to me because if i didn’t click on this work that one day i was scrolling through ao3 what would’ve happened?? it’s just so insane to think about honestly…and the discord?? everyone on there is so nice it feels like such a welcoming little community. even just going through and reading all the messages brightens my day.

I SWEAR one day i will bind this fic and dedicate some sort of shrine to it on my bookshelf. i will recommend it to anyone and everyone i come across. i will think about it from years to come. i will dedicate my future successes to this beautiful piece of literature.

maybe i’m a little obsessed but hey. the emotions i experienced whilst reading this were unparalleled and it HAS made an impact on my life and myself as a person. (me and my bsf make a bunch of inside jokes and refs about this all the time like ill fall asleep on call and she’ll go “omg dazai and chuuya from the soulmate au!!”)

just sayin people can shame fic readers/writers all they want but some things i’ve read on ao3 are literally published book quality and they have NO idea what they’re missing out on.

ahh sorry for my rant i just wanted to get this out there :D time to go read the spinoff!!

I'm surprised I'm not completely emotionally wrecked like ??? This has been my life for months as well, I've spent so much time on this it's insane, updating was always my favourite part of the day. I really do hope you like the rest of what I write, as much if not more than the soulmate au, though I don't think I'll ever get better than this tbh 😭

I also think about it a lot, what would I be doing if I hadn't posted the first chapter of this? If I had given up halfway? Genuinely, if it weren't for this fic, and the people I've met through it, I wouldn't be who I am, and I wouldn't be as happy or content as I am. I'd be positively miserable. Genuinely, the little community we've gathered is the best thing ever <3

If you bind this fic I'd love to see how it turns out, though a shrine does seem a little excessive lol 😭😭 but hey if you wanna recommend it I will not complain!!! You're not the only person who this fic has changed- surprisingly, because in my mind it's still the like four sentence idea in my notes app- and I also get it, I'm making references all the time 😔 i saw a tub of strawberries in the store and was jumping around in glee.

I don't think this was quite book quality, but I appreciate the sentiment 😭 I'm so glad you liked this so much, and I hope you like the spin off too <3

[unclewaynemunson]

Time for the Wingman Wayne AU - Ronance Edition pt7! Only one more to go after this one :’) - Read from the beginning | or on ao3

As soon as they get out of the car, Robin realizes she made a colossal mistake. She should never have come here in the first place. Why did she let Eddie and Steve talk her into this?

It doesn't seem like her date has arrived yet, but none other than Nancy Wheeler is sitting on the tea garden's terrace, some fifty yards away from the parking lot. Even with her back towards them, she's looking like she came straight from a fairytale: her curls are shining golden in the sunlight, she's wearing a fluffy pastel purple cardigan that looks like it's made of the softest wool in the whole universe, and the backdrop of fields filled with flowers blooming in all kinds of colors makes the whole sight so goddamn perfect that it makes Robin want to cry right then and there.

With a whole lot of effort, Robin manages to tear her eyes away from the girl and grabs Steve's arm to get his attention because she would very much like to get out of here before Nancy will notice them standing in the parking lot.

'Steve!' she says in a sort of panicked hiss, emphatically nodding towards the place where Nancy is sitting. 'We need to get out of here!'

He gives her a weirdly tense smile. 'Surprise,' he says, in a thin voice.

Robin feels her jaw drop, unable to do anything but gape at him for a couple of seconds.

'What-' She can't manage more than that one word, for once in her life completely dumbstruck.

'She's your date,' Eddie clarifies. 'Steve was worried about you because you were being so sad and mopey all the time, so I may have slipped and told him about how you couldn't get over Nancy.'

'And I want you to be happy, Robbie,' Steve adds. 'I swear it's not a problem for me. You shouldn't feel guilty about who you like.'

'Steve –'

'I'm serious,' he says, his eyes piercing into Robin's. 'I actually met up with Nance last week and we talked a lot of things through. It was a good bit of closure for both of us. And she told me that she's been struggling to get you out of her mind over the last few weeks, as well, so...' He shrugs kind of awkwardly. 'You should go for it. Please.'

Robin stumbles forward to give him the tightest hug possible, burying her face in his shoulder as he grumbles something about her crushing his bones.

'Thank you,' she says. Then, she pulls back and takes a long moment to look at him, searching for something in his face.

'Are you absolutely sure about this?' she asks him.

She doesn't find any of the disastrously-bad-idea indicators that she's looking for; the only thing she sees on her best friend's face is a genuine smile.

'Hundred percent,' he says, as earnest as can get. 'C'mon, go say hi to her. I figure you'll wanna catch up with each other, go take that walk she wanted to take you on. We'll be waiting for you here while stuffing our faces with scones.'

Robin grins, then takes a deep, shaky breath in an attempt to calm her nerves. And with a salute towards both boys, she walks up to the girl who's still patiently watching over the fields.

'Hi.'

Nancy looks up. She's looking even prettier than Robin remembered, with a slight blush on her cheeks and long lashes framing those beautiful wide eyes of hers. And when she locks those eyes with Robin, a shy smile appears on her face.

'Hi,' she answers.

It feels awkward, to be standing there in front of her, and Robin doesn't really know what to do with the situation.

'I was supposed to meet a blind date here,' she says. It's a poor attempt at a joke, but it still manages to get a chuckle out of Nancy – a chuckle that makes Robin's heart stutter because of how genuinely delighted it sounds.

'Do you know her name, this time?' Nancy asks.

'No, the boys didn't bother to tell me. But apparently she wanted to take me for a walk. Romantic, right?'

Encouraged by Nancy's gorgeous smile, she stretches out her hand. And when Nancy takes it to pull herself up from the bench, every single thought in Robin's brain disappears. She automatically pulls back when Nancy is standing, but Nancy only tightens her grip and intertwines their fingers with each other. Despite the warm sunshine, her hand is cold against Robin's skin. But it's the good kind of cold. It sends a chill down her spine that makes her feel like something that has been slumbering inside of her for years is finally being woken up.

She lets Nancy guide her onto a path leading into the woods, and shoots a quick glance over her shoulder towards Steve and Eddie, who are still standing near the car and shamelessly staring at them with exactly zero subtlety. Robin gives them a tiny wave and Eddie winks at her.

'You're really lucky to have them as your friends,' says Nancy while they let the trees shield them from any probing gazes.

'Yeah, I know. Steve's like, super annoying sometimes, but he's also the most selfless person I know. That's why I was so afraid of hurting him, you know.'

Nancy squeezes her hand. 'Me, too,' she answers. 'I already hurt him so much.'

When Robin gazes down upon her, she sees this guilt-ridden look on her face; she wishes she could take that face in her hands and kiss that look away.

'It's not like you could help it, right?' she says quietly. Steve had talked about it often enough for her to know that it wouldn't be fair to blame Nancy for falling out of love with him. Those things were sad and painful, of course, but it wasn't exactly anyone's fault. Okay, maybe Nancy could've told him a bit more gracefully and not while she was drunk off her ass at some party without remembering anything of it the next day – but Steve even went as far as to claim that it made him a better person, in the end.

'Well.' Nancy flinches a little bit, her mind probably wandering to the same place as Robin's. 'Part of me thought I got exactly what I deserved when you told me we couldn't keep seeing each other.'

'Like some sort of punishment?' Robin asks.

'Yeah, I guess. I couldn't believe my ears when Steve reached out to me last week. But it was surprisingly good, to reconnect. And to actually talk about how shit went down between us. To properly leave it behind us.'

They keep walking in silence for a while, but it's not an uncomfortable one. It feels like with every step, they both get to direct their minds a bit further away from Steve and closer to themselves, to each other. To figure out together what this all means for them.

'So, what now?' Robin finally dares to ask.

There's a mischievous glimmer in Nancy's eyes when she looks up at Robin. It's a glimmer that Robin hasn't seen in there before, one that makes her breath catch, makes her heartbeat quicken, makes her want to do all sorts of things that'll ensure that it will never disappear.

'Well,' Nancy says, suddenly stopping in her tracks. 'We can either continue walking or skip right to the good part, now that we're here anyway.'

And that's all Robin needs to push Nancy against the nearest tree. She lets her hands wander over Nancy's slim waist, feels the touch burning under her palms, and then slowly leans down to press her lips against Nancy's.

Nancy’s lips are much warmer than her hands. They taste like mint and strawberry and they feel like coming home after a long day.

Taglist: @munsonsuccubus @messrs-weasley @shrimply-a-menace @booksandsience @sadcanadianwinter @mightbeasleep @theysherobinbuckley @bisexualdisastersworld @newtstabber

[luaspersona]

january bts archive ♡

welcome to my january bts fics recommendation list! before we start, i’d like to say a few things 🥰

⇢ my blog is +18, so even if this list has some sfw stories please, minors do not interact!

⇢ this month alone i think i’ve read around two stories per day at least, but to better organize my recs i settle on 10 works per list, especially since i know i won’t be able to keep this rhythm once my classes start and i want all the lists to have the same length

⇢ this list only has fics i reviewed (reblogged) in january. it won't have ongoing series (or series i haven't finished yet), although i plan on making a series rec list in the future.

⇢ think there's some fic missing? let me know! (also, please send me hobi recs!! 😭)

⇢ lastly, this isn't in any particular order (although is somewhat the order in which i read those works).

All because of you

authors ⇢ @taegularities and @hoebii pairing ⇢ seokjin x reader genre ⇢ fantasy (HP!au); friends to lovers; fluff; smut rating ⇢ +18 | minors do not interact word count ⇢ 8.3k summary ⇢ They say food is the ultimate way to someone’s heart. It would be a shame if Seokjin didn’t at least try to confirm this belief. why i loved it ⇢ this fic was a huge surprise in the sense that i didn’t know i could love seokjin even more. the way rid and melody wrote this filled me with so much warmth, but then it was pure sexyness and world wide handsome handsoming. the dialogues are amazing, but the descriptions? the way they set the mood? it’s impossible not to be drawn into the story as soon as you start reading it. ⇢ my full review (with spoilers!)

Two in One

author ⇢ @here2bbtstrash pairing ⇢ hoseok x reader x jimin genre ⇢ smut (threesome); friends to lovers. rating ⇢ +18 | minors do not interact word count ⇢ 12k summary ⇢ you finally have a much-needed smoke session with your best friends, just like old times. you’re also pretty sure they’re gay… right? why i loved it ⇢ i’m sure this is one of the best examples of good mood setting i’ve ever seen. m does an amazing job here of making us interested and into all the characters involved because they are just so sexy and smooth and fucking cool. not to mention this is one of the best threesome fics i’ve ever read and well… it’s fair to say i’ve read a few 👀 ⇢ my full review (with spoilers!)

Fallen

author ⇢ @casuallyimagining pairing ⇢ yoongi x reader genre ⇢ fallen angel!au; strangers to friends to lovers; fluff; angst; smut. rating ⇢ +18 | minors do not interact word count ⇢ 21k (divided in two chapters) summary ⇢ If the road to hell is paved with good intentions, then where does that leave you? Spurned by your ex-fiance, you seek the one person who can help. But as it turns out, the price of revenge may be a little more than you bargained for. why i loved it ⇢ this fic deals with a lot of heavy topics in such a touching and heart clenching way. the imagery courtney evokes here is no joke, and the atmosphere is set in a way that makes it unable for you to stop looking. the descriptions, the pace, everything is… ugh, just flawless. ⇢ my review: part 1 | part 2 (with spoilers!)

Stardust

author ⇢ @euphoricfilter pairing ⇢ jungkook x reader genre ⇢ friends to lovers; fluff; smut rating ⇢ +18 | minors do not interact word count ⇢ 5.5k summary ⇢ If Jungkook would have known an unintentional orgasm would have led to this, then he would have begged you to work out with him sooner. why i loved it ⇢ i went into this expecting a filthy mindless smut, and received the most pure longing in the forms of astronomical analogies and posthumous promises. jungkook’s perspective here is just so honest and genuine and it makes you fall in love with this couple as if you've been with them from the moment they've met (it's a slow burn encapsulated in 5.5k words). i was so surprised and it made me so happy to read this.  ⇢ my full review (with spoilers!)

Photograph you in this light

author ⇢ @yoongiphoria pairing ⇢ jungkook x reader genre ⇢ fluff; some angst rating ⇢ free to all audiences, but the MJ's blog is +18 only word count ⇢ 0.5k why i loved it ⇢ fun fact: i had a full meltdown because of this fic lmao. it took me less than two minutes to read it and two business day to get over this and i honestly feel like i lack the words to live up to it (i did say a bunch of stuff in my review tho, but i strongly recommend you read the drabble first). ⇢ my full review (with spoilers!)

The one with Jungkook, his son, and the lightbulb

author ⇢ @eoieopda pairing ⇢ jungkook x reader genre ⇢ fluff rating ⇢ pg-13 word count ⇢ under 1k why i loved it ⇢ this is just the cutest fucking dad!au i’ve ever seen. jade writes this in such a creative way that they were able to capture years of relationship and love in such few words. i almost wanted kids after reading this lol (so i backed away immediately 🥴). ⇢ my full review (with spoilers!)

Thus with a kiss…

author ⇢ @uarmymoonlight pairing ⇢ jungkook x reader genre ⇢ fantasy!au; historical!au; forbidden/secret relationship!au; angst; fluff; light smut. rating ⇢ +18 | minors do not interact word count ⇢ 899 summary ⇢ two times Jungkook got so lost sliding his hands through your soft skin and staring into your gentle eyes, that he had to fight to remember the stories of brutal cold-blooded and dead-eyed killers his brothers raised him up with. stories of your kind. why i loved it ⇢ this has one of the best opening paragraphs i’ve seen in fanfiction. it’s just so good and the fever dream way it’s narrated fits the story and its theme so well that you can’t help but be swallowed by the events. although this is just a teaser for an upcoming fic, i do think it stands tall on its own, because it suggests so much and crafts such a nice world already. i just know that i'll be revisiting this a lot.  ⇢ my full review (with spoilers!)

Velvet cherry

author ⇢ @jeonqkooks pairing ⇢ jungkook x reader genre ⇢ exes to lovers; agent/spy!au (non-specified); some fluff; angst; smut rating ⇢ +18 | minors do not interact word count ⇢ 5.9k prompts ⇢ “call me that again” & “lay down and stay still” why i loved it ⇢ i think this is one of the firsts — if not the first — jen fic i’ve read. i was mesmerized by her control here. the way she conducts her scenes are so interesting, and how she throws us in the middle of jungkook and the reader's story and we’re able not only to catch up but to feel like we were there all the years of the relationship. ⇢ my full review (with spoilers!)

Tales of broken hearts

author ⇢ @taegularities pairing ⇢ taehyung x reader genre ⇢ exes to lovers; childhood sweethearts; fluff; angst; smut rating ⇢ +18 | minors do not interact word count⇢ 24.8k summary ⇢ “Love has become a noun again.” When a work trip brings you back home, you don’t expect for anyone to await your return or remember you. But despite the time apart, Taehyung still does — still looks at you the same way he used to five winters ago. why i loved it ⇢ i’m not sure i loved it as much as i am sure i was completely destroyed by this. it took me hours to finish it ‘cus there were times i had to stop to try and remember how to breathe. it’s one of those stories that just stays with you way past the last word and you wanna hug each and every character until you squeeze all the sorrow and sadness out of them. it’s fucking good (and it has a happy ending, so rest assure you won’t die). also, this fic made me stop reading rid's work for a while 'cus otherwise i just know this list would be all hers lol ⇢ my full review (with spoilers!)

Holiday Inn

author: @bangtanintotheroom pairing: hoseok x reader genre: non-idol!au; rap group!au; humor; smut; strangers to enemies to lovers rating: +18 | minors do not interact word count: 37.6k summary: If it’s not the loud music, it’s the constant rapping. If it’s not the constant rapping, it’s the hysterical laughter. And if it’s not the hysterical laughter, it’s the moaning and screaming women. How the hell hasn’t your neighbor been kicked out yet? Oh right; he’s a beloved rapper.  why i loved it: this fic is just delicious. it happens in the course of five days — that start out as the worst but soon become the best ones of the reader's life! and hoseok here… let’s just say there wasn’t much sunshine and i never thought i’d love an asshole version of hobi THAT much. although it’s a longer fic, the pace is really good and it felt like watching a movie: the tension rising and the events escalating in such a delicious and continuous way that a shorter version could never provide. ⇢ my full review (with spoilers!)

links ⇢ navigation | reviews

[analexthatexists]

Limitations

A short skit between Hex and Ink

———————————————————————

“…Hey, Hex! Can we talk? Just for a second?”

“Huh? Oh! Haha, of course! I’m just surprised you thought I WOULDN’T want to!”

“Haha, yeah, it was a little funny to ask!…”

“Hah…yeah… why… exactly did you seem a little unsure about talking to me? (His eyes are doing that thing again… makes his emotions such a dead giveaway!)”

“Alright, well…hmm… you know we’re pals and all, right buddy?”

“Pssh, why wouldn’t I? You’re acting so weird, man…”

“Well! Well, uh… I need a favor from you. A nice, simple favor between friends. Can you do that?”

“Favors? Really? Well alright, I guess one teeny tiny favor couldn’t hurt! Just don’t make me try to calm one of Error’s tantrums! Hahahah! Alright, alright…Watcha got?”

“So, I need you to- yes? -do a better job of- better? I can do better, ok -not messing with the- what? -stability of the multiverse?”

"...Pfft, haha, okay, okay, uh, You're kidding me, right? You're usually better with jokes, Ink! This is just sad."

"Hah...I...I'm not joking, Hex... I uh...I mean it. This is becoming a problem. You're a great variant, you really are. Just... your whole antics are a little...tiring. I don't think I can keep asking you to tone it down without making my own tone serious for once. That make sense?"

"..."

"Hey, don't go all silent on me! You've got to admit that what you're doing isn't, you know, cool? At least to the Multiverse and me? Especially in the long term?"

"...yeah right... 'Least I'm not actually, you know, destroying AUs or genuinely hurting anybody. I thought you were on board with my shenanigans, but now you're just acting like DREAM!"

"The 'shenanigans' that you pull can cause entire AUs to go offscript... or even... self-destruct... Don't you realize that!?"

"THE LITTLEST things can set these places off! What, are we ruining a timeline right NOW just by being here!? Haha, I mean, come ON! Can't a little fun be present in this world drowned in rules and balance?"

"...It's not fun having to clean up messes that people like YOU make, Hex."

"So what? Not like cleaning up messes is going to stop them from being made. Why don't any of you realize that?"

"...Hex, you- No, no. YOU know that, don't you? You know this is all a lost cause, and yet you still choose to TRY and make sense of nonsense."

"..."

"...Well? How close am I? 70%? 80? Full one-hundo? Deciphering people like you is fun, you know! You guys are like Rubix cubes! Haha!"

"...Pfft....Hahaha!"

"There we go! Finally, snapping out of that balance talk... It feels good to laugh, doesn't it?"

"...Ah...Hex, you really do know how to irritate me..."

———————————————————————

This isn't the first time Ink has had to talk with Hex about stuff like this. Hex knows what he's doing, but nothing Ink says is likely going to stop him. I do wonder... when is enough enough?

[johnslittlespoon]

https://www.tumblr.com/hogans-heroes/746685005077544960/the-most-powerful-one-so-far-im-crying

Have you seen this buckbucky edit yet?

BIG OL' MISCELLANEOUS ASK POST!!

1) UNFORTUNATELY (said with love). that edit made me cry like a mf, my soul is too soft for those two to stay dry eyed through stuff like that. but god it was BEAUTIFUL.

2) ohh 100000%. it's in my post–war buckbucky playlist, it fits john's pov so well. it's so angsty, working through mental health issues in the aftermath, learning how to communicate with gale and ask for help when he needs it, just wanting to be by his side 24/7 but feeling undeserving of his love and also being afraid of how much he loves him and how much gale loves him back </3

3) omg no don't be sorry!! i am someone who listens to a little bit of everythinggg don't sweat it. i gave it a listen and YOWCH that hurt wtf?? it does fit bucky in that time so well, our poor sweet boy. :( also i still feel so bad that my only curtbucky fic is an mcd angst one LOL i need to fix that soon <3

4) another one i hadn't heard but nooo it absolutely is. all the angsty pine–y songs fit him so perfectly </3 he just wants to feel someone love him the same way he loves!! but also: 'i know i should be angry, but i can barely feel a fucking thing' is very plane–wing–scene :(

5) NO. NOT FUN. i have such a hard time listening to that song as is but thinking about it with post–war john in mind has literally made it 10x more painful and now this edit 😭 i tried to make an angsty edit to it a few weeks back but i started crying every time LOL phoebe just hurts too damn bad when you pair her with mota stuff. i adore her <3

6) SGDKJG honestly a wild day for us. she cracks me up like no one else <33 but OOO okay so i'm a strange one alright i grew up adoring anything fantasy/sci–fi, ate every novel and movie and show up, but in the past few years i've sort of lost interest in that vibe? which makes me really sad! but i've just been enjoying more slice of life stuff in terms of media i consume.

so i think if dune had come out when i was in like high school, i would've been obsessed, but even if it's not my go to genre, i still thought they were beautiful movies, perfect casts, managed to hold my attention as someone who can barely sit thru movies 99% of the time, the sound design was incredible, 10/10. no complaints.

but listen.... at first i was like "yummy feyd" as a joke. i serious'd very very fast. like i knew i'd be attracted just bc, i mean, c'mon, it's austin lmfaooo, but my brain chemistry was genuinely altered. i haven't like properly fleshed out any au–type of brainrot because i honestly didn't retain enough info about the dune universe (again. i am not a good movie watcher, i do not do well just sitting down and paying attention to one thing for three hours lol) but i do think some sort of crossover where john is in the dune world would be interesting!

let's be real, most of us would probably just wanna see john and feyd fuck nasty so. not sure it needs much elaborating on LMFAO and i'd be surprised if someone doesn't end up writing a fic like that– wouldn't be surprised if there already are some!

[myheartalivewrites]

Fanfiction Writing Asks

Did I ask you any yet? I forget . . .I might have - but just in case . .😉

40.) What is your favorite world you've created in a fic?

48. Who is your favorite character to write for? Has this changed since you started writing for that fandom?

51.) Does what you write differ from what you like to read?

66.) What's a fun fact about Deep Blue?

No, you haven't yet! 😘

40. What is your favourite world that you've created for a fic?

The training camp in Love and War, particularly all the scenery. It's all real life inspired, but it's so vivid in my mind. God, I love that fic so much.

48. Who is your favorite character to write for? Has this changed since you started writing for that fandom?

Ooh tricky. Writing Alex is easier, the banter, the jokes, the faster pace, but I enjoy getting into Henry's feelings more.

51. Does what you write differ from what you like to read?

Not really! I like angsty, smutty, getting together AUs with lots of tension and pining. Also, the more words, the better. I rarely read straight up fluff, rarely read canon related stuff. I am genuinely surprised that I HAVE written a few post canon fics, because normally, if they're not getting together for the first time it just doesn't give me the feels.

66. What's a fun fact about Deep Blue?

Fun fact: the exact locations (the cove, the beach, the cottage, the pub) are all made up, but they're inspired by Trebarwith Beach and Widemouth Bay in Cornwall, and meant to be located a little further north, around Bude.

Bonus fun fact: I picture Bea's offices being on top of Gosh! Comics in Soho, which is one of my favourite places in London, though whenever I go with my kids I get all flustered, trying to distract them from the sex shops all around it 😂